In the little town of Jasper
by Jaylee8301
Summary: -Abrasive. Yes, that description fit him perfectly. The guy smelled like trouble, and she knew he would get even more abrasive the longer she talked to him. Too bad she didn't care. -A pretty stranger that talked to him, knew his name and his place of work? In Daryl's book, that just couldn't be good news. AU - Daryl Dixon/OC, M Rating for language and sexual situations. Yes smut!
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome to Jasper, Georgia. That's where this AU-story about Daryl and my OC is set, hence the title. This is my fourth attempt at a Daryl Dixon fanfic and my second attempt at writing an AU-story. So yeah, no zombie apocalypse in this one. This story takes place in our current time, early 2014, so the apocalypse didn't happen and Daryl spent another 4 years alone with Merle instead of meeting the group in 2010 during the outbreak. (I just assume it would have been 2010 cause that's when the show started airing.) I wanna try and explore some new things in this one, so it will have a very strong M rating in the future. Those two will be very enthusiastic to experiment sexually once they get to that point, so be warned. I'll post appropriate warnings as soon as things like that come up. I am basing it on the interview where Norman Reedus said that Daryl is not a virgin, as many assume (and as I have assumed before I saw that interview), and that "he'll fuck you, but he doesn't wanna cuddle afterwards." Other than that, I don't want to give away too much, so I hope you read on and enjoy.**

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Chapter 1

The alarm on her Iphone went off at 6.30 am for the fifth time that week and the only thing that kept her from staring daggers and grumbling at the offending device for ,also, the fifth time that week was, that it was finally Friday. She just had to get through one more day and then she would be able to kick back and recharge and enjoy the weekend. Still she had a hard time dragging herself up into a sitting position, knowing the day would be hell. Her father had warned her that Mondays and Fridays were the busiest days of the week for them. She had already experienced a Monday and that hadn't been fun at all, so she knew today wouldn't be much better and that thought didn't really get her in the mood to swing her legs out from under her cozy warm blanket and set her bare feet on the hardwood floor, so she could get up and get ready for work.

"Well, here goes nothing." she sighed after giving her face a good rub. She had just gotten herself to lift the blanket off of her legs, when the Imperial March, Darth Vader's theme song from Star Wars resounded right next to her hip, where she had dropped her phone after turning off the alarm. It was the ringtone assigned to calls from her parents. She buried her head in her hands with a groan, debating if she should just let it go to voicemail or face whatever her parents had in store for her now. Why did they have to call at this hour anyway? She would see her father at work, couldn't it wait until then? She decided to just succumb to her fate and answer the phone. If she didn't she wouldn't be able to enjoy her shower because she'd be too busy trying to guess what the reason for the call had been.

"He-" she didn't even get to say hello, her mother, Bernadette Robertson, was on the other end of the line and her slightly shrill voice was interrupting her daughter mid-word.

"What on God's green earth took so long for you to answer the phone, Theodora? You live in a 3-bedroom apartment, not in a palace. Do you make your patients wait this long as well until you answer their calls? What if I had been dying from a heart attack?"

'If only...' Teddy thought, suppressing another groan.

"Why would you even call me if you had a heart attack when you have daddy, who is also a doctor, sitting right next to you reading the paper?"

"Maybe he was poisoned. The love of my life dying sure is reason enough for me to have a heart attack, isn't it?" her mother had a penchant for dramatics and outrageous what-if-scenarios. Teddy slapped her hand against her forehead in exasperation and shook her head.

"Just call an ambulance. I wouldn't be able to save you both anyway. I am not House M.D."

"He might have been a curmudgeonly bastard, but at least he loved his mother." Bernadette said, exasperated herself and Teddy could just picture her sitting at the dining table already dressed in a Chanel suit with perfectly coiffed hair and her usual make-up, while she tapped the manicured nails of one hand on the beech wood table top.

"You talking about Daddy or House M.D.?"

"Theodora Marie Robertson! Don't you get funny with me this early in the morning. I swear to the Lord, you kids WILL give me a heart attack one day. At least now I know to call an ambulance because my own daughter will be too busy to answer her phone when her mother is in the throes of death." Bernadette's voice rose in volume and thus the shrillness also reached the limit of what Teddy was able to take. She took a deep breath, reminding herself to fight the urge of antagonizing her mother in order to not make the day even worse than it already was.

"Is there something I can help you with, mother?"

"I just called to let you know that you don't need to bring yourself lunch today. I had Rosario make you and your father some sandwiches. Egg Salad, your favorite."

"I hate egg salad." Teddy sighed.

"Nonsense. You love egg salad. You've loved it ever since you were a little kid."

"That was Billy, not me." Teddy argued. Her brother was a goat, he ate pretty much everything.

"Nonsense, it was the both of you."

"Mom, just because we're twins doesn't mean that we share EVERY single trait."

"Oh that is true, my dear. You at least got some brains."

"I am not having this conversation. Is that it? You just wanted to let me know about lunch?"

"Yes dear." Bernadette confirmed.

"Alright, thanks. I gotta go get ready for work now. I'll see you next week."

"What do you mean you'll see me next week? You're not coming to dinner tonight?"

"I told you I am having dinner with Billy tonight and on the weekend I need to finish unpacking all these damn boxes. If you would kindly excuse me now, I have to take a shower."

"You haven't showered yet? What are you waiting for? Do you want to be late and risk somebody dying for real?"

"Good Lord, mother..." Teddy shook her head once more and pressed her fingers against the left side of her temple where she felt a headache building.

"Go get ready. I will see you next week." Bernadette finally hung up and Teddy dropped the phone back on the bed before she plopped back down to cuddle into her pillow for another minute, seeking some comfort from the soft material. What the hell had she gotten herself into? Why had she decided to move here and work with her father in his practice of family doctors? She was used to a stressful life, just two weeks ago she had practically lived at the Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, Washington, working all kinds of crazy hours in the pediatrics ward, never knowing when she'd be able to get a couple minutes of sleep or what kind of emergency would come up next, so yeah dealing with stress had never been an issue for her, but the life she had been leading this past week? That had turned out to be a whole new level of stress and she had a hard time adjusting to this new, "peaceful" way of life.

She took one last look at the time and saw that it was too late to take a shower now. Thankfully working 48-hour shifts at the hospital had taught her a thing or two about quick hygiene,so she reached over to pull open the drawer of her nightstand and got out a pack of wet wipes and scrubbed the most important parts of her body, starting with her face before she moved to her armpits and other lower regions. Putting the pack of wet wipes back into the drawer, she pulled out a spray can of dry shampoo next and sprayed some on her hair. Next she used deodorant and then applied some body lotion. After that she finally got out of bed to put on clean underwear and then went to the bathroom to rub her waist-long, wavy, dark brown hair with a towel before she brushed it quickly and voilá, clean hair within two minutes. Thank God for dry shampoo. She used the toilet and brushed her teeth, applied some eyeliner and mascara and got dressed and was ready to go to work within ten minutes. Things started to look up, because now she had time to enjoy a quick coffee before she had to leave for work. It was those little simple pleasures that kept her going on days like today. Another simple pleasure she was looking forward to? Having dinner with her twin brother Billy that night. She really couldn't wait. The thought of spending time with him for the first time since she moved back here at least made her leave her apartment building with a smile on her face, giving the people she met on her way the impression that she was actually excited to go to work. If they only knew.

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Daryl Dixon looked up at the wall clock while he wiped his oil-stained hands on a dirty old rag, that used to be white in color once upon a time. A disgruntled sigh left his mouth when he noticed that it still wasn't five pm, but four thirty. Another half hour to go before he could go home, put his feet up and enjoy fast food, some beers and some smokes in front of the TV. It would be the first weekend in a long time he would be able to spend all by himself, since Merle had gotten thrown in jail for the next year on an assault charge. Deep down Daryl was glad that Merle would be gone for a long while. No more drunk rages from his older brother, no more shady people at his place, no more drugs laying around his place, no more police knocking on his door in the middle of the night. No, just him all by himself with his television and take-out food. He would thoroughly enjoy those two days of being alone with nobody around to bother him.

"Hey Dixon." Daryl looked over his shoulder at his colleague, Billy Robertson, who had called out for him.

"What?" Daryl asked aggressively, but Billy wasn't fazed. Daryl always sounded aggressive, it wasn't news. Billy had worked with Daryl for four years now, he knew that the guy was actually kinda nice and always lent a helping hand when somebody asked him to. He was just putting up a tough front for whatever reason.

"Can't wait to get out of here, can you?" Billy smiled, having noticed Daryl looking at the wall clock repeatedly. "Got plans?"

"Nah." Daryl answered with a shrug of his broad shoulders.

"I'm having a party for my sister on Saturday at my place. You should come."

"Don't even know yer sister, man." Daryl didn't really feel like partying, especially not with a bunch of strangers or some of that stuck up family Billy comes from.

"So what? You'll meet her when you get there. You saying no to free food and booze just 'cause you don't know her? It's not gonna be like a huge thing. She just moved here and I want her to meet some people, help her make some friends. It's gonna be a couple of guys from work and the bar and some of their friends. No big rager or anything." Billy tried to convince Daryl to come. He knew he wasn't the most social being in the world, but he liked him and wanted to include him. Well, he wanted to try at least.

"Dunno." Daryl gave another shrug and busied himself with putting some of his tools away and turning his back on Billy.

"Alright. If you change your mind, you're welcome to join us. Party starts at eight pm, you know where I live, just swing by if you feel like it." Billy offered one last time before falling silent again and finishing changing the tires on the car he was working on.

Exactly half an hour later Daryl dashed out of the auto shop like a bat out of hell. Neither did he bother with changing into clean clothes for the ride home, nor did he say bye to anybody on his way out. Again, nothing his co-workers weren't used to. Daryl jumped in his truck and gripped the steering wheel in his still slightly oil-covered hands and drove home, only stopping by Kramer's burger joint to pick up some food before he arrived at his shoddy apartment building. Upon entering his apartment and closing the door behind him he walked into his tiny bedroom, pulled off his dirty work clothes except for his white wife-beater, black boxer briefs and white tennis socks. He completed the outfit with a pair of old gray sweatpants and then left the bedroom for the kitchen to get his six pack of beer from the fridge. Armed with food and drinks he finally settled his behind into the old green corduroy of the couch that was probably older than him and barely cushioned his body anymore, but it still beat sitting on the hard floor. Daryl turned on the TV and unpacked his food and after he took his first bite and the first sip of his heavenly cool beer, he nodded to himself contentedly. Yeah, this he had missed, a quiet moment without having to worry about anything. He would be able to fall asleep in front of the TV peacefully, without having to worry about his brother charging in, high as a kite and causing a ruckus. For him, life didn't get much better than this. It would be the highlight of his entire month, if not of the entire year, it was only February after all.

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"Hey Billy Goat!" Teddy grinned and hugged her twin brother when he opened his apartment door with a huge smile on his face.

"Oh how I didn't miss that nickname." he laughed and embraced his sister tightly.

"Good for you that you might not have to get used to it again then." Teddy smiled while she pulled away.

"Uh-oh, what does that mean? Do I have to turn your 'Welcome to Georgia'-party into a 'Goodbye Georgia'-party?"

"Maybe. Man, it has only been a week and I am ready to hitchhike back to Seattle, straight to the hospital and beg for my job back."

"Oh come on, it's just been a week, you just need some time to adjust. It might have worked better if you would have been able to take this week off to get settled first." Billy said while he led her into his living room and motioned for her to sit on the couch. Annoyance was tinging his voice, but his anger wasn't directed at Teddy, but at their parents.

"Yeah, tell me about it. The parental unit is driving me up the wall. Seriously, I moved here on Saturday and Dad already makes me work on Monday? I unpacked like three boxes, I still have a shitload to do, but I never get to it, because they make me spend time with them until I am so tired I can barely keep my eyes open. I get up, go to work, go to have dinner or other 'fun' activities with them and then I go to sleep. That was my whole week. I don't know the patients, don't know how the whole system works in that office and instead of just letting me watch and learn and adjust a couple of days first, he throws me into the water and expects me to be the best swimmer the world has ever seen. Just fucking overwhelmed right now." Teddy plopped down on the couch and yawned while Billy got her some 7Up from the fridge.

"I know, but you know our parents. You had to know what you were getting yourself into." Billy understood that Teddy was overwhelmed and was putting all the blame on their parents right now, but he also knew that his sister wasn't stupid and had to have been aware that it wouldn't be a walk in the park.

"Yeah, you're right, I knew. It just sounded all so good. I loved Seattle, but I had to get out of there. Everything reminded me of him. And who would say no to fewer hours and better pay? I just like to bitch and gripe about our folks. They are a handful and spending so many years away from them made me forget that, but I am still grateful for everything they did. Like you said, it just takes some time to adjust."

"Exactly. So, are you excited about your party?" Billy smiled and changed the subject to happier things.

"Oh yeah, you have no idea how excited I am. Who did you invite?"

"Just some people I hang out with. Maggie obviously and her brother Shawn and his girlfriend."

"You don't have to mention Maggie, she's your girlfriend, so I kinda expected her to come. Please tell me other people are coming and I won't be the fifth wheel on couples night." Teddy looked at him with wide eyes. When he had told her he was throwing a party she had expected just that and not an intimate dinner with two couples.

"Don't worry, I invited some other friends and Gus, Wade and Daryl from work."

"Gus, Wade and Daryl... such fitting names for mechanics somehow, don't you think." Teddy smiled. She had met Gus and Wade a couple of years ago for Billy's birthday party, but Daryl she didn't know yet. "Hey, is Daryl the guy that looks like a serial killer according to Mom?"

"Everybody who isn't a member in her country club looks like a serial killer to our mother, Teddy." Billy laughed. "But yeah. He looks a little mean, maybe. He is a little abrasive, but he's there to help when you need him and that's what counts. Don't think he's gonna come anyway, he is not really the socializing type."

"Too bad, would have loved to meet him. I like me some mean looking fellas." Teddy giggled, while Billy rolled his eyes.

"Oh please. I mean I am all for you finally finding someone to settle down with, but I don't think any of my friends would qualify for that position."

"What is that supposed to mean? Should I be offended here?" Teddy frowned at her brother, thinking he thought she wasn't good enough for his friends.

"No not really, but you're a doctor, Teddy and they are all a bunch of outdoors loving rednecks that go hunting and fishing in their free time. And then they gut and fry their kills before they eat them."

"Yeah, so? I am a doctor, I've seen worse than a deer being gutted, Billy. Think that would gross me out?"

"You don't get it. Those are country boys, you're a city girl. Those guys like farm girls who know how to shoot and cook up some chicken for dinner. They'll like you as a friend, but in the end, you'll be nothing but a yuppie girl to them and rednecks and yuppie girls don't mix well relationship-wise." Billy explained nonchalantly.

"Oh okay, so I should cancel my account on Redneckmingle dot com? That what you are saying?" Teddy laughed.

"Ha ha. Here, choose a pizza, I'm starving." Billy handed her the menu from the take-out place and while she browsed he grabbed to DVD cases and held them up. "And for entertainment we got National Lampoons Christmas Vacation aaaaand True Lies."

"Awwww, two of my favorites, you rock. This is exactly what I need."

Shortly after they ordered the pizza and thirty minutes later the twins were munching on pizza and watching Chevy Chase stapling himself to his house while trying to hang all the chains of lights and for the first time in a week she finally felt herself relax. Yes, the week had been stressful and it would take some time to adjust to the new town, the new people and the new job and everything, but it all had a big upside and that was, that she finally had her twin brother back in her life permanently. Together they were strong and would be able to face anything. Now she was looking forward to the party and meeting all the other people in his life and making new friends herself. With her parents in close proximity, God knew she would be needing them to keep her sanity.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Teddy hadn't slept in in forever. She felt gloriously refreshed and well rested when she opened her eyes at eleven am the next morning. She stretched languidly and happily wriggled her toes and fingers and had a big smile on her face when she turned on her side and grabbed her phone to put on some music. Only seconds later "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" played on her phone, which she took with her to the kitchen to fix herself some coffee. She danced around in her underwear a bit while the coffee maker worked its magic. She owned one of those machines that worked with some kind of pad system, so thankfully she only had to wait about 30 seconds before she got her coffee fix. Saving time whenever she could had been one of the most important things in her life while she had still worked at Harborview Medical Center. She had always been in a rush, but now, as soon as she would get into the swing of things here, she would be able to lay back and relax a bit more. The thought made her happy and sad at the same time. She looked down at the tattoo on the inside of her right wrist while she grabbed her coffee mug with a wistful expression on her face. No, not today, she thought and slammed the mug back on the counter and went back into the bedroom to grab a sweater with long sleeves to cover up the tattoo and while she was at it she also put on some yoga pants so she could go down and grab the paper. Then she decided if she was gonna go down anyway she could take her wallet, put on some sneakers and get some breakfast to go with that coffee. Her fridge and her cupboards were still empty except for some granola bars and coffee and she felt like having some nice baked goods to treat herself this morning. When she was fully dressed she grabbed her phone to help her find the bakery. She hadn't been to Jasper very often before moving here a week ago and she had terrible sense of direction and wasn't sure whether to turn left or right once she was in front of her apartment building to get to Deb's Bakery. Thank God for smart phones. It showed her which route to take and she quickly memorized it and left to get her desired breakfast.

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Saturday morning started on a bad note for Daryl when he wanted to get his coffee maker ready to brew him up some of that heavenly hot and bitter beverage that would kick his body into gear, only to realize that he was out of coffee. He went through every cupboard and even looked in the fridge, which made him realize that he was pretty much out of everything. There was nothing edible in the apartment apart from half a leftover burger and some cold, dried out fries, but to him the no coffee thing was way worse than no food. He'd have to go get himself a coffee-to-go and then drive to Wal Mart and do some grocery shopping. He took a much needed shower first, though, turning the water to ice cold for a moment when he was done washing himself, hoping that it would wake him up a little bit. Dressed in black denim, his Red Wing boots and a light blue jean shirt with the sleeves cut off he left his apartment and got in his truck. He shook his head to the side to get the long bangs out of his eyes before he checked the mirror for oncoming traffic and pulled out of his parking spot while a deep sigh left his body. It was Saturday, the store would be crowded and he hated standing in line for half an hour to pay for his shit. He was sure it couldn't be avoided today, the lines at their local Wal Mart were notorious, especially on the weekends.

A few minutes later he pulled up in front of the bakery, already looking through the large shop window to check out the line situation in there. Thankfully there were only two people waiting from what he was able to see. He walked in and stood behind a woman while that old fuck Henry Miller picked out some cupcakes, not able to decide which ones he wanted.

"Of fucking course..." Daryl mumbled under his breath and got comfortable by shoving his hands into his pants pockets and slumping his shoulders.

"Mornin' Daryl." Maisy Harper, the daughter of the owner of the bakery, greeted him with a smile while she went past him to serve some customers that had occupied a table close to the window.

"Mornin'." Daryl greeted her, accompanied by a nod. Suddenly the woman in front of him turned around and narrowed her eyes at him. 'What the fuck is her problem?' Daryl thought and scowled at the stranger. He was sure she wasn't from around here. This was a really small town, everybody knew each other and he sure would have remembered seeing her.

Teddy had turned around when she had heard the girl refer to the person behind her as Daryl. Maybe it was Billy's colleague she didn't know yet, how many Daryl's would there be in the tiny town of Jasper? She studied him for a moment and nodded internally when he scowled darkly at her. 'Yup, looks mean and kind of like a serial killer.'

"Your name is Daryl? Do you work at the auto-repair shop by any chance?"

Daryl eyed the pretty stranger suspiciously, his frown deepening even more. Who the fuck was she and why did she know where he worked? This couldn't be good, maybe she was some kind of debt collector or was trying to serve him papers or some shit like that. Even though he didn't have any debt and didn't know who would want to sue him, he was still wary of her. A stranger knowing his name and place of work just couldn't be good.

"Maybe. What's it ta you?" he snarled at her, showing his teeth like a mean dog.

"I'm Theodora Robertson,... Billy's sister? He works with a guy called Daryl. Thought that might be you. If not, I am sorry to bother you." She smiled and let her eyes drift away from his face and did a quick scan of his body, definitely liking what she saw. These country boys around here were built!

"And if that guy is me? Then ya ain't sorry for botherin' me?" he was still snarling, but the expression in his eyes looks like it had softened now that she had introduced herself. She didn't know that Daryl really was relieved that she wasn't after him for some kind of shit that would make his life more difficult.

"Something tells me I'll be sorry either way." She grinned. The guy smelled like trouble and she was pretty sure that he would get even more... how had Billy called it? Abrasive? Yeah, she was sure the guy would get even more abrasive if she kept talking to him. Too bad she didn't care. She winked at him before she turned around to face the counter again when she had noticed that the customer in front of her had walked past the two of them.

"What the fuck is that s'pposed ta mean?" Daryl stared holes into the back of her head, but she ignored him for the time being, while she placed her order. It gave Daryl time to size her up. She looked like she was about 5'4", if he took another two steps forward he would be able to rest his chin right on top of her head. She had shiny dark hair that hung in big waves all the way down to her narrow waist that flared out into nicely shaped hips. The tight black leggings she was wearing displayed a firm butt and shapely legs. She looked like she worked out regularly, gotta be a runner or something, because her arms didn't look overly toned. She was a real looker in the face department, he's gotta admit, but she didn't look too much like her brother. Also she had a New York accent while Billy had a southern accent. Wouldn't have pegged them for twins if he wouldn't know. They only looked vaguely alike because of the dark hair and green eyes and high cheekbones.

"I asked ya a question." Daryl grunted as soon as she was done ordering.

Teddy turned back around to face him and shrugged nonchalantly. "Just means that you seem to have the urge to rip my head off one way or another. Am I right?"

Daryl narrowed his eyes at her again and bit the inside of his cheek while he stared at her for a short moment. "Just 'cause ya know ma name doesn't mean that ya know me, so don't act like ya fuckin' do." he spat, irritated by not being able to intimidate her with his gruffness.

"Just stating my observation. You asked for it." She smiled and turned back around to pay for her things and Daryl was even more irritated by the fact that she was right. He had asked her to tell him what she had meant by her previous statement. He had just proven to her that he was a damn fool, but she had perhaps already known that if her brother had talked about him and obviously he had, because she knew his name. Daryl decided to shut the hell up, before more stupid shit came out of his mouth. He was sure she was already laughing at him and he didn't fancy giving her even more reason to do so.

"Have a nice day, Daryl. Maybe I'll see you tonight at the party..." she smiled a genuinely nice smile when she passed him on her way out, but Daryl's suspicious nature didn't let him realize that she was being nice, instead he wondered if she was indeed nice or if she was just fucking with him. He was pissed at himself for even wondering about it, so to drive the point home that he wasn't looking to make friends, he scoffed loudly while he walked up to the counter.

"Pfff, yeah right..." He might not want to make friends, but that didn't keep him from looking over his shoulder at her retreating backside for a couple of seconds, not even sure why he was doing it.

"Just a damn coffee. Ta go." he placed his order absently. Theodora Robertson. That sure was a fucking mouthful. Of course her rich, stuck up parents had to give her some kind of bullshit fancy name. Who the fuck was called Theodora these days? Stupid name didn't even fit her. Was he supposed to call her Dora, the fucking explorer for short or something? Or Theo, like from that Cosby Show? What a goddamn stupid name.

'Why the fuck am I even thinking about that? Man, I need this coffee in me, pronto.' he thought when he paid and left the little bakery to get the damn grocery shopping done.

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By eight-thirty that night Daryl was bored out of his mind and he was growing restless. He was born fidgety and he constantly kept moving around a lot, he was used to the restlessness inside of him, but it had reached a sheer unbearable level in the past two hours. He was starting to piss himself off. At least when Merle was around it never got boring. He had even cleaned the kitchen today to keep himself occupied. He had looked forward to a quiet weekend all by himself, but he'd forgotten how easily he got bored and there was nothing interesting on TV right now, either.

Even though he tried to fight it, he had found his thoughts drifting back to that encounter with Billy's sister at Deb's bakery throughout the day and in turn his thoughts also kept drifting back to that party tonight to which he had an invite. Billy had said it wasn't a big thing, not too many people. He could go over there and shoot the shit with the guys from work for an hour, have some free booze and food, maybe stop by the local watering hole for another hour afterward before he stumbled back home with a nice buzz that would let him drift off right into sleep. Couldn't hurt, right? At least it would be something to do. He grabbed the remote to turn off the TV and got off the couch. He was still fully dressed so he just grabbed his wallet and keys and was out the door within a minute.

Billy lived in a nicer area of the little town, but since Jasper was pretty small, it was just about a 10 minute walk. Daryl planned on getting drunk, so he left his truck at home. He was a strong opponent of drinking and driving, because most of the time it was innocent people that got their lives destroyed or taken and not the drunk drivers. He didn't need to add that to his conscience. He would also feel like a hypocrite if he would get behind the wheel with a buzz on , since he'd been trying to get his brother clean for years so he'd stop fucking up everybody's lives.

Daryl was glad to see the door to Billy's apartment open, this way he could make a quiet entrance and check out the surroundings and the people that were standing and sitting around the place, but his arrival didn't go by completely unnoticed. His colleague Wade stood right by the door and greeted him with a smile.

"Hey Daryl, thought you weren't gonna show. Would've missed some great food and booze. They got fucking Johnny Walker Blue. That shit costs like 200 bucks a bottle, man and we get it for free." Wade grinned happily, obviously he'd already had quite a bit of the whiskey.

"Yo, Daryl. Great to see you made it out!" Billy grinned and slapped his hand down on Daryl's shoulder. "Over there's the bar and all the food is set up in the kitchen. Help yourself to whatever you want and holler if you need anything. Oh wait, you gotta meet the guest of honor. Now where is she hiding out..." Billy scanned the room and started shouting when he spotted his sister. "Yo, Teddy! Get your ass over here!"

Daryl had a strange feeling in his stomach when he spotted the woman he had met this morning and he had no idea what that feeling was supposed to represent. So Teddy was what they called her. Yeah, that kind of fit. It sure as hell beat Dora or Theo or using her whole name. She headed towards them and Daryl saw her smile widen when she seemed to recognize him. It made him fidgety as fuck and he started nervously shifting his weight from one foot to the other and back.

"Oh hey, good to see you again, Daryl. So I was right, you are THAT Daryl." Teddy smiled broadly at him. She seemed genuine, but Daryl was still suspicious.

"You guys met? When?" Billy frowned in confusion and when Teddy turned her attention to her brother Daryl took the opportunity to eye her inconspicuously. She had traded her leggings in for skin tight dark blue denim and black knee high leather boots with heels so high that he and Teddy were almost on eye level. She wore a loose white T-shirt with a deep v-neck that plunged down to the valley between her modest-sized breasts. A black lace bra peeked out of that neckline, preventing any accidental indecencies from happening. 'Too bad.' Daryl thought, before he shook himself out of it.

"Oh I met him this morning while getting breakfast. The girl at the bakery called him Daryl and I thought, hey how many Daryls are gonna be running around in this town, so I asked if he worked with you. He didn't give me a concrete answer, though."

"Okay, guess we won't have to make introductions then. Like I said, bar is over there, food is in the kitchen, feel right at home, dude." Billy smiled before he slung his arm around Teddy's shoulders and led her away, leaving Daryl standing awkwardly next to Wade. He decided to get some food first to give his stomach something to work with before he put alcohol in his system, so he made his way through the people towards the kitchen, nodding a greeting to people he knew.

"Abrasive was right. What's his deal?" Teddy asked her brother when they were out of earshot.

"He is actually a good guy, the tough act is just that, an act. He doesn't talk much about himself, not at all now that I think about it. Rumors around town are that his folks neglected and abused him and his brother when they were kids. Mother burned the house down by smoking in bed or something like that. Died in the fire and the father is an alcoholic. You work with kids, you know what that kind of life does to a person in the long run. He is not very trusting of people, I guess, but like I said, he is there when you need him. Don't let him get to you, that's just the way he is. I don't think he even means anything bad by doing it." Billy tried his best to explain what he knew about Daryl, which wasn't all that much.

"Right,... well trust me, I'm not easily intimidated, you know that. I just hate that Mommy Dearest was kinda right. He does look mean, but in a really hot way." Teddy grinned and Billy groaned.

"Oh please, don't do that to me. Don't wanna hear it. Like I said, these rednecks like farm girls. Like this one..." Billy grinned and placed a kiss on the cheek of Maggie Greene, his girlfriend of two years.

"I don't blame them, she is pretty kickass." Teddy smiled at Maggie with a wink. She loved Maggie. She was sweet, caring, fun, uncomplicated and beautiful. Her brother had done good and Teddy hoped that they would stay together forever.

##### ####### ####### ######## #######

Daryl looked over the huge assortment of food and tried to choose something. There were burgers, hot dogs, steaks, sandwiches, all kinds of salads and breads, even cake for dessert. He frowned when he saw something he wasn't able to identify. He picked up one of the lumpy things that was slightly bigger than the palm of his hand and covered in cheese. Mini-pizza? Nah, too thick. He held it up to his nose and smelled it. It smelled fucking delicious. He still held it up to his face when Teddy walked in and smiled at his confused expression. It was adorable.

Daryl blushed and cleared his throat before he waved the food in his hand around. "The hell is this?"

"Doesn't have a name. Maybe I should come up with one. I make pizza dough and throw in some garlic powder and basil and then I take a handful of dough, flatten it and throw a bunch of smoked bacon and gouda on top and let it bake in the oven. Try it, it's good."

It did smell delicious, so he took a bite. 'Damn, that stuff really is good.' he thought while he chewed slowly.

"You made this?" he asked and took another bite while she nodded. He didn't let her know that he liked it, though, he just gave another one of his nods and started to fill up his plate with steak and potato salad and another one of those things Teddy had made. She just grabbed a hot dog and put some slaw on it before she left the kitchen again sending him another smile on her way out, which he only registered out of the corner of his eye, because he tried to ignore her. When she was gone he sat down on one of the stools by the breakfast bar and ate by himself before going back out to the living room to get himself a drink.

The party wasn't bad and Daryl found himself enjoying the company, even though he'd never admit it out loud. He drank and talked with his colleagues and every once in a while he would let his eyes scan the crowd until he spotted Teddy, letting his gaze linger for a second before he quickly turned his attention back on Wade and Gus. He had no idea why he kept doing it and tried not to, but five minutes later he found find himself letting his eyes wander again. He stayed longer than the one hour he had initially wanted to stay, the food was good, the drinks were awesome and the atmosphere in general was laid back and happy. He had no idea how it turned to shit so quickly. Suddenly there was aggressive shouting and the sounds of furniture being shoved around by a body colliding with it. Two of the guests were very drunk and were getting into it. Daryl knew one of them from school and he and Gus rushed over to break them up, just in time to hear glass shattering.

"Come on, Willie, stop. Break it up you two." Daryl stepped between the fighting men and pushed Willie away from his opponent.

"He fucking started it!" Willie yelled and pushed against Daryl, trying to get a punch in.

"Yeah and I'm fuckin' endin' it. Get outta here, man. Go home and sleep it off." Daryl didn't know what was happening, but suddenly he felt a sharp burning pain slicing through his left shoulder and he pulled away from Willie, startled by the sudden sensation, while the crowd around them gasped in shock. Gus charged at John, the other guy in the fight and knocked him to the ground and the broken glass bottle out of his hand.

"He's bleeding. Get Teddy. He cut him bad, he needs a doctor." Daryl was a little dazed while he heard the voices around him. He felt the burning throb in his shoulder and something running down his back. He turned his head, but he couldn't see shit. Suddenly two warm hands softly gripped his arm and turned him around so the person could check out his back, then he was turned back around to face that person and he recognized Teddy.

"You need stitches. I don't have anything here, so I'll take you to my office, okay?" Teddy didn't wait for his consent before she pulled him behind her while she left the apartment. Thank God she didn't have anything to drink. Daryl was still confused and didn't put up a fight. Not at first, but when he was seated in the passenger seat of her car he finally got his voice and senses back.

"I'm fine. Don't need no damn doctor." he grumbled and winced when he leaned back and his shoulder came in contact with the seat.

"You do, that cut is pretty big and deep."

"I've had worse. Ain't got no insurance anyway. Jus' take me to the bar or whatever."

Teddy stopped the car a couple of minutes later. She tried to help him out, but he shook her off. He recognized the building and knew that's where her father worked. Great, he didn't need that stuck-up bastard to stitch him up.

"I told ya, don't got insurance. Can't pay for shit!"

"Don't worry about that, come on." She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the door. In passing Daryl looked at the sign next to the door, then he stopped short and looked again. There at the bottom of the sign was her name. She was a freaking doctor? He ain't ever seen a doctor like her.

"You're a one of 'em damn quacks?" he looked at her with a deep frown.

"Yup, in the flesh. Now come on, you're bleeding quite a bit." she tugged on his hand again and pulled him inside the building and into one of the exam rooms. "Take off your shirt, please." she told him while she quickly put her hair up. Daryl unbuttoned his shirt and she carefully helped him out of the now blood soaked material. Her eyes fell on the numerous scars on his back and she thought back to what Billy had told her. Abuse was right and probably not powerful enough of a word to describe what Daryl must have been through. Unfortunately she had seen these marks on children before and she was sure she would see them again in the future. People could be monsters.

"I am not asking to offend you or anything, but I don't know your medical history and I just need to know because of the I'm gonna use. Are you allergic to anything and are you and addict?"

"Ain't no fucking addict, man!" he snarled. He was offended, he hated being compared to his brother and right now he felt like that was what she was doing.

"Alright. How much did you have to drink? And what about the allergies?"

"A beer and some whiskey. Ain't even buzzed. No allergies neither." Daryl replied and Teddy went to work and got out everything she would need to treat him. Then she put on her gloves and carefully cleaned the wound and the surrounding area. "Sorry,..." she said gently when Daryl winced and flinched a little, because it burned like a motherfucker. "I'll numb you now for the stitches. Liiiittle pinch..."

Daryl didn't even feel the injection, but soon after he relaxed when the throbbing burn in his shoulder started to dull. Teddy waited a moment longer before she pushed the needle and thread through his skin and closed up his cut.

"I'm real sorry that you got hurt. It's always the ones that want to help that get caught in the crossfire." Teddy said while she worked. She really was sorry. It was always the people that had already been through enough and still were good enough that they wanted to help others that get hit over and over again.

"Yer brother never told me you was a doctor." Daryl said quietly instead of acknowledging her saying she was sorry. Teddy laughed a little, not surprised her brother hadn't talked about it to his colleagues.

"He is not exactly fond of my job."

"Why? Ain't this some kind of noble profession or shit like that? Helpin' folks?"

"In a way, sure. It's a long story. Let's just say that he isn't too fond of me following in my father's footsteps."

"Why you sound like a damn New Yorker and yer brother don't?"

"Another long story, I guess. I lived there a long time. Guess I picked up that accent just like Billy picked up the southern twang over the years."

"Why didn't ya live with yer family? Haven't they been here for like over ten years or something?"

"They've been here for 16 years, yeah. Why I didn't live with them is another long story. Guess Billy doesn't talk too much about his life either, does he?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"He said you don't talk much about yourself. Looks like you're not the only one."

"What the fuck are the two of ya doin' talking bout me? Ma life ain't none of yer damn business!" Daryl got defensive, because he thought his suspicions had been right. Billy must have told her about him being some kind of redneck trailer trash.

"Hey, hold still, I got a damn needle in your skin, Daryl! I don't wanna hurt you even more. Relax, my brother and I talk. When he tells me about the people he works with I ask questions. It's just a normal conversation, nothing more and nothing less. You asked questions just now, didn't you? That's the same thing. You don't see me jumping down your throat, are you?" She kept her voice calm, it didn't take much effort, because she wasn't offended by his outburst. She had worked with a lot of different people over the years and she had a good sense of how to handle them. Yelling back at him wouldn't help things along, he would just feel justified in not trusting her.

Daryl had to admit that she had a point, but he only admitted it to himself and settled back down. He had a hard time telling himself that not everybody was out to fuck him over, it was a process that had to be repeated day by day, still it didn't get any easier.

"Sorry." he mumbled quietly, so quietly that she barely even heard him and therefore wasn't entirely sure that he had even really said it.

"There, all done. Keep the wound and the bandages dry. Have your girlfriend or wife or whoever can do these things for you change the dressing for you regularly. I will give you some antibiotics to prevent an infection. Do you have ibuprofen at home?" he shook his head and she went through the stash they keep in the offices and filled two bottles for him with ibuprofen and antibiotics and handed them to him. Then she grabbed her purse and got out a card and a pen and scribbled down something. "Here, it's my personal cell number, the stitches have to come out in about 10-14 days. I can do that for you, don't worry about insurance, I won't charge you for it. Just call me and we'll set up an appointment after hours. Should you get a fever, unusual pain or tear open the stitches, call me right away, got it? No false pride, just call. Please."

Daryl nodded, although he was already deciding that he would get those stitches out by himself somehow. He didn't want to be the charity project of the month any more than he'd already been. "Fine."

"Good. I'm afraid I don't have a shirt laying around. Do you wanna put this bloody mess back on or stay topless for the ride home?" Teddy asked while she eyed his blood-stained shirt.

"I'll wear the shirt." There was no way he was walking around topless for the whole town to see.

"Okay. Lift your arm a little, I'll help you." She wanted to put the shirt on him, but Daryl ripped it out of her hand.

"I got it. Don't need no help."

"Suit yourself. You probably shouldn't work for a couple of days."

"That ain't an option."

"I could write you a note."

"Ain't needin' yer damn note. I'm fine." he grumbled exasperated while he put on his shirt and quickly buttoned it, not feeling the pain of the wound yet because of the local anesthetic Teddy had shot him up with.

"Damn, you are just like my brother. Fine, just watch it, okay? Take it easy. Now come on, I'll take you home."

Daryl and Teddy walked back out after she had killed the lights and she quickly locked up. They sat in her car and Daryl gave her directions to his place. He wished he had thought about letting her drop him off a block away from his apartment building. He was ashamed for the shoddy old building he lived in. She was a doctor, she sure had a nice, quiet house in a great neighborhood. She didn't have to put up with drunk neighbors, broken windows and rusty pipes.

They stopped and if she was horrified by the condition of his building, she didn't show it.

"Feel better, Daryl. I'm sorry about what happened. It was nice of you to come, though. I hope apart from getting cut up the evening was enjoyable."

"It was alright." He shrugged and fumbled with his own fingers in his lap while he looked down.

"Good. Please don't hesitate to call if something's off with that wound." she looked at him imploringly, while he just looked up shyly, his eyes barely visible from the bangs hanging in his face and gave one of his trademark nods.

"See ya. And thanks..." he mumbled before he got out of the car.

"Bye, Daryl."

He didn't say anything else, but walked straight up to the door of his building and dug through his pocket for his keys. Teddy waited until he was inside before she left. She knew he wouldn't call, but she hoped against all odds, that he would.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Yeah, hi Billy. This is your sister. Again. You know I hate repeating myself, why do you make me do it? So here we go: Call me when you get this!" Teddy hung up forcefully and sighed deeply. She had been trying to get a hold of her brother for two hours and it was driving her nuts. Knowing him he probably left his phone at home. She gave up for now and called in her next patient. 8-year old Caleb Henderson had a rash all over his body. Teddy went through her usual list of questions. Her mentor had had a policy of "poke the kid with 12 needles for an allergy test first, ask questions later", but Teddy had chosen not to adapt that policy. A lot of cases had been solved by asking simple questions, like if there had been any dietary changes or a change in laundry detergent or hygiene products or if the family had adopted a new pet, etc. and she had been able to spare the kids the uncomfortable procedure. When she asked Caleb's mom about any new pets Caleb's panicked eyes shot up to his mother and Teddy was pretty sure she had hit the jackpot. Yes, they had taken in a stray cat two days ago.

"Is there any possibility for Caleb to have a sleep-over at his grandparents or a friends house for the weekend?" Teddy asked Mrs. Henderson who was rubbing her son's back comfortingly.

"Yes, he can stay with his grandparents. Do you think he is allergic to the cat?"

"I think so. It could be a coincidence, but in most cases it's not. If you insist I can test it right now." Teddy offered, but the mother was shaking her head.

"No, we'll try it the other way first. Thank you, Dr. Robertson."

"Momma I don't want you to send Scratchy away. He's my best friend." The little boy had tears in his eyes and his lip quivered while he looked up at his mother with big sad eyes. Teddy's heart broke for him, for kids losing a pet is a huge drama, but with a rash this bad, there was no other way than to find a new home for Scratchy.

"I'm sorry, Caleb, but if he is making you sick, we can't keep him." Caleb's tears started to fall and Teddy took a deep breath and forced herself back into professional mode and addressed the mother.

"If is Scratchy who is causing it, the symptoms should go away pretty quickly when he is at his grandparents. If the rash isn't any better by Monday come and see me again, okay?" Teddy reached into the pocket of her lab coat and handed Caleb a lollipop. Cliche? Yes. But did it work? Most of the time, yes. Today it didn't manage to dry any tears, though and Teddy understood perfectly.

The phone finally rang at the same time as she closed the door behind her latest patients. She rushed over to her desk and picked up while she sat down in her leather chair.

"Finally, what took you so long?" she sighed, knowing it was Billy from the caller ID.

"Well, in case you don't know, I have to work for a living, too and can't just stop what I am doing just to answer a call. That's what our lunch break is for. Now where's the fire?"

"I wanted to know what you wanted me to bring to dinner tonight." Teddy replied and looked through the file of her next patient. She noticed the silence on the other end and was just about to ask if he was still there, when his incredulous-sounding voice reached her ear.

"THAT'S why you fucking called me five times? Are you kidding?"

"Well I need to know!"

"You know what Teddy? As much as you hate the way our mother behaves most of the time, you are actually a lot like her." Billy said with a smug grin. Teddy might not have been able to see it, but she heard it in his voice clear as day. Her mouth fell open and she inhaled sharply.

"You did not just compare me to our mother!" Then she stopped and realization hit her. "Oh my God you're right. It's the egg salad sandwich all over again. Oh hell, you see what she does to me? Two weeks living close to her and she's already turning me into a younger version of herself. I am just 29 years old, I am too young to be Bernadette Robertson. Help me!"

"Relax, you're not nearly as bad as her." Billy was laughing his ass off, he knew comparing her to her mother always got her riled up and he loved doing that.

"Hey, um... how's Daryl doing? Is his shoulder okay?" Teddy asked as casually as possible, but she wasn't fooling her brother.

"Do you realize that you have asked me that every single day this week? Are you sure you called because you wanted to know what to bring tonight?"

"I am the one who stitched him up and I doubt he will come in for a check-up anytime soon, so this is my way of checking up on his injury. I'm a doctor, it's what I do." Teddy argued, not liking the tone of voice Billy was using, because it implied that he was wearing a big, fat grin on his face right now.

"Oh right, calling co-workers of your patients to ask how they are doing every day, you do that with all your patients? You gotta be racking up quite the phone bill, Dad's gotta be so proud."

"Shut up, William. So?"

"So?"

"How is he doing today?" Teddy asked exasperated at her brother stalling to answer.

"I'm afraid I am not at liberty to disclose this kind of information. You as a physician should know that." Billy grinned, which turned into a full out laugh when he heard his sister groan in frustration.

"You're an ass."

"But you love me anyway."

"You're my twin brother. I kinda have to."

"Be there at eight and bring ice cream. Bye Bernie!" he used his mother's nickname on purpose, getting one last shot in at his sister before he hung up.

"Idiot!" she grumbled, but the line was already dead. She sighed and figured that Daryl had to be doing okay. Billy would have told her if something was going badly with the healing process. But then again, Daryl surely wouldn't let anyone know if anything was going badly and he had an infection. She literally shook her head to get her thoughts to shift away from the rude redneck. She had a job to do, other people needed her. Daryl was old enough to look after himself. She was not responsible for him causing himself even more harm by disregarding her advice. She turned her focus back to the next patient, a 9-month old baby with diarrhea. The diarrhea part sure isn't very pleasant, but she loved being able to work with babies, especially the regular check-ups for the little ones between the age of 0-2 were the highlights of her days.

She finished up at 5 pm and went to her father's office to say bye. Gerald Robertson asked her to come in and have a seat and Teddy sighed internally. Their parents had a thing for keeping them longer than necessary all the time, yet the twins never got used to it.

"So, Theodora, how was your second week?" he asked politely after he had finished noting something down in one of the files on his desk.

"Better than the first. It's still a little bumpy, but I think I am getting the hang of things now."

"That's the impression I got as well. You seem more at ease, trust me by the end of next week you'll feel like you've worked here forever. The patients like you, I hear everyday what a lovely daughter I have."

"Well what am I supposed to do, yell at them?" she laughed while she blushed a little.

"People can be rude without yelling, Theodora. You have a good attitude and the patients appreciate that. I am very satisfied and proud of the work you are doing. I am happy to have you here, my little girl." Gerald smiled proudly at his daughter and chuckled when she blushed even harder.

"Stop, daddy. You are making my head explode if you keep talking like that. Thank you for having me. I know I am not always the easiest daughter to have."

"You kids are a handful, always have been, but we love you more than we love ourselves, never forget that. That's why we do some of the things we do, because we have your best interests at heart, even though you might not agree with that very often."

Teddy just nodded. She didn't want to go any further with the conversation, they had had that convo several times over the years and it always ended the same way and that wasn't very positive. Billy and Teddy loved their parents dearly and vice versa, but they've had their ups and downs with each other. Maybe even more downs than ups and things could get shitty pretty quickly.

"Well, I have to go, daddy. I am meeting Billy and Maggie tonight." Teddy slung her handback over her shoulder and got up from the chair in front of her father's desk.

"Alright. Have fun. I'll see you soon. And call your mother, before she decides to call you." he winked at her with the tiniest of smiles, making his daughter chuckle on her way out.

"Will do. Bye."

Teddy finally went home and decided to take an hour and relax in the tub. Sitting on her sofa and staring at all the boxes that still hadn't been unpacked around her living room would just drive her crazy. The furniture she had ordered was on back-order and instead of arriving this week, it would take until the end of next week for them to be delivered. So her living room and her office and part of her bedroom were still a mess. At least the bathroom and the kitchen were done and fully stocked by now. She put on some music and filled the tub with heavenly hot water, sighing blissfully when she let her naked body sink into it. She leaned back and the water started to cover her shoulders and her mind instantly went back to Daryl.

'Hope he at least kept the wound dry.' she thought before she frowned at herself. She was doing it again, worrying when it wasn't her place to worry. She shook herself out of it and focused on the music instead, softly humming along with it until the beeping noise on her phone alerted her that she had to get out and get ready to go and buy ice cream before she went over to Billy's.

###### ####### ######### ####### ########

Teddy was in for a big surprise when she arrived for dinner with Billy and Maggie. She was gaping at her brother, too stunned for words. His words still echoing in her head.

"Teddy, meet George Hanson. I went to school with him. He's a lawyer now and his parents are close with our folks. He's going to join us for dinner."

Teddy was not amused. This had blind date written all over it. She hated being set up. If she wanted a guy she was perfectly able to get one herself. She really hadn't thought that Billy would ever do something like this to her. Her mother had to have something to do with this.

"Nice to meet you, George. How nice of you to join us." Teddy plastered a fake smile on her face and shook the guy's hand. "Let me just put this ice cream in the freezer. Billy, why don't you show me?" she grabbed her brother's arm and dragged him into the kitchen with her.

"What the fuck is this? This is mom's doing, isn't it? What is she blackmailing you with?" Teddy whispered harshly, her green eyes were glinting dangerously.

"Look, don't be mad, okay? I don't know what happened. Mom called and she just kept talking and talking and talking and I stopped listening and just said yes and amen to everything she said and before I knew what was happening I let her talk me into inviting him. Maggie was mad as fuck, too. Said you'd go ballistic and you have every right to. Just try to have a nice evening okay? He is a nice guy. A little on the boring side maybe, but he's not going to hit on you or anything, I'm sure. Let's just have dinner and I promise I will never ever do this again. Okay?"

"Fine, I'll play nice, but I swear if you do anything like this again I will have your balls on a platter for Maggie to do with whatever she wants to." Teddy couldn't be really mad at her brother. She knew going up against their mother and coming out the winner was damn near impossible.

"Deal. Sorry Teddy." Billy apologized.

"You owe me and I am cashing that favor in right now." Teddy said while she put the ice cream container in the freezer.

"Alright. What is it?" Billy asked curiously.

"Daryl's shoulder?" Teddy asked and Billy rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"Christ, what is it with your obsession with Dixon? You seriously wanna tell me you're this way with every patient? Just leave him be, Teddy." This time Billy was the one who was speaking in aggressive whispers. His spider sense was tingling and he didn't like it one bit. His sister showed too much interest in Daryl for his liking. That guy was not the man for her and from what he knew about him, he wouldn't even be interested and his sister would end up moping and he'd have to listen to it and then face the guy at work every day.

"Maybe I am that way with all my patients, Billy. You wouldn't know though, because you don't give a shit about my job. Sorry that I don't want the guy to go septic, just because he is just as much of a stubborn fuck as you are."

"Fuck off, Teddy. Why don't you go running to Daddy and ask him to go and buy Daryl for you? He's bought everything else for you, so why not him, too." Billy spat bitterly.

"You are such an asshole, Billy. It always comes back down to that, doesn't it? It wasn't my fault that they separated us back then. You were the one who didn't want to go to college in the first place. What was he supposed to do? Buy a damn auto-shop for you just to even out paying for med school?"

Billy sighed deeply and rubbed his eyes hard with his fingertips. Then he grabbed Teddy and pulled her into a hard hug. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. They are just so goddamn annoying with all their getting involved in everybody's business. Had a shitty day at work and just lost my cool with Mom's meddling. Just forget it, okay?"

"Fine. Just promise me that we won't let them separate us again, okay? I get the impression that that's what they are doing, albeit unconsciously maybe." Teddy said and hugged him back.

"Guess they are scared of history repeating itself. Even after all these years."

"Probably. Now come on, let's get out there and get this evening over with."

Billy laughed and released Teddy. "Oh man, prepare to be bored."

####### ####### ####### ####### ####### ######

They had been bored beyond belief. George had been nice, but also quite talkative. He kept going on and on about his job and used a whole lot of big words from the legal world and half the time they didn't even know what the hell he was even talking about. They just kept listening and nodding politely with little smiles, while they secretly shot little glances at each other and made hand gestures for shooting or hanging themselves. At the end of the night George offered to walk Teddy home. She accepted, because she didn't like running around in the dark by herself and she saw the glances Maggie and Billy shared and how they kept on whispering towards the end of dessert. They wanted to jump each others bones and Teddy wouldn't keep them from doing so.

She left with the lawyer, but she declined hooking her arm around his elbow, that would just be taking it a step too far and she didn't want to give him the wrong idea. He kept talking and talking and Teddy just zoned out and worked on auto-pilot, just smiling and nodding, that's why at first she didn't even notice that he wasn't leading her straight home. She was confused when she found herself passing some of the little stores in the heart of Jasper. Music and loud voices from the bar across the street had pulled her from her thoughts and she was thankful for that. The sneaky bastard might be boring, but he was still a guy who was trying to prolong this "wonderful" date. She looked at George and put the fake smile back on her face.

"Nice night for a walk, but I should really get back home now. It was a really long day."

George gently touched her back and nodded with a smile. "Of course, far be it from me to keep you up longer than usual. This way."

They turned into another street and Teddy was relieved to know that it was the way to her apartment building and she was closer to ending this night. Unbeknownst to them their little exchange had a witness.

'She certainly ain't wastin' any time ta get her pretty ass laid.' Daryl thought darkly and chugged back the rest of his beer as he watched Merle's lawyer put his hands on his doctor. They didn't see him, he was hidden in the crowd of smokers outside the old dive bar. 'Figures she'd get herself a fancy lawyer. Bet that guy don't know nothin' bout handlin' a woman right. Might know how to work the law, but sure don't know how ta work her.' Daryl thought drunkenly.

"Figures." he spat and shook his head before he flicked his cigarette to the ground and headed back inside.

###### ####### ####### ######## #######

Another week passed and Daryl had grown more uncomfortable with every day. The stitches had to come out, they were itching and scratching something awful. His attempts to rip them out by himself had proved to be unsuccessful. He just couldn't reach and his buddy Jason had flat out refused to pull them out for him, telling him he didn't have scissors small enough to cut those things without cutting Daryl all over again.

It was seven pm on a Friday night and Daryl leaned against his kitchen counter, the phone sitting on it next to his right hip while he fiddled with the card Teddy had given him. He was torn between wanting to call and not wanting to call. It was Friday night, she sure had plans with her new boyfriend. At the same time he felt a little bit of satisfaction of being able to at least delay those plans for a little while. Hanson was a shitty lawyer anyway, he deserved to wait a little. It took ten more minutes of debating before he finally picked up the phone and punched Teddy's cell phone number with his thumb on the keypad of his phone. It rang and rang and rang. He was just about to hang up, when he heard her breathless voice.

"Hello?"

He frowned. Had he interrupted their fucking? Not like the lawyer wouldn't deserve that. "Uhm,... ya said I should call,... 'cause of the stitches?" He rolled his eyes at himself and his tongue-tied nature when it came to these things. Now he'd probably have to explain who he was, because she sure as hell wouldn't remember him.

"Daryl?"he heard the surprise in her voice. She even sounded glad. He was surprised that she had even been able to guess who was calling her.

"Yeah."

"Oh good, I'm glad you called. Want to get rid of those stitches?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, do you wanna do it right now? I'm free."

"Yeah." He said for the third time in a row and felt incredibly retarded for doing so. He just didn't now what else to say.

"I live at 2311 Ridgewood Road. First floor, apartment 5."

"'kay. I'll be there in five." he said and then just hung up without saying bye." He hoped her saying that she was free meant, that she was alone and that her boyfriend wasn't gonna be there. That would be too damn awkward. He threw the phone back on the counter and shoved her card back in his pants pocket. He grabbed a new pack of smokes and his keys and left.

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"Hey, come on in." Teddy smiled and stepped aside so he could walk past her into her apartment.

Daryl just looked at her a little warily, not making eye contact and made his way towards the room she was pointing at. He looked around. It wasn't as luxurious or big as he had expected, but he still felt intimidated being here. He stopped short when he reached the doorway that lead to the living room and frowned. It was pure chaos in there. Huge pieces of cardboard and packaging paper were covering the floor. He wasn't even able to properly see the floor. Everything was covered by the paper, the cardboard, baggies full of screws and nails and pieces of wood and glass that had to be assembled into whatever piece of furniture it was supposed to be. That put him at ease at least a little bit. His place was tidier than hers was right now.

"Yeah, sorry about that mess. I finally got my damn furniture delivered. Took them forever. It said 24-hour delivery and it turned into 14 times as much. Just follow me, step where I step." She led the way through the chaos towards the kitchen and Daryl gingerly followed her steps, very careful not to put his feet on anything she would need to assemble her furniture. "Have a seat, Daryl. Can I offer you a drink?"

He shook his head and sat down at the kitchen table, his fingers immediately tapping nervously on the top it.

"I'll go get my kit, I'll be right back." she told him and Daryl nodded. At least she seemed to be alone. The thought now made him frown. What kind of boyfriend was that stupid lawyer anyway if he left her to do the assembly all by herself? Clearly she was in way over her head by the looks of it.

"Here we go. Shirt off, please." She smiled and placed her bag next to him on the table and took some gloves, tweezers and a pair of scissors out. Daryl unbuttoned his black shirt and shrugged it off while she put on the gloves and gently touched the area around his now healed up wound. "This looks very good. Did you change the dressing regularly?"

"Nah. Couldn't reach. Fell off after a couple of days." he answered and kept his head down to watch his own hands. He felt weird whenever he looked at her.

Teddy had to fight a sigh and bite her tongue to keep from asking him why in the world he hadn't called sooner. She knew why he hadn't called. He didn't want her help. He only accepted it now because it was absolutely necessary and he probably hadn't been able to find anyone else to remove the stitches. "I'll start now. It might pinch a little here and there."

"Ain't the first time I had stitches. Just do it." he snarled and Teddy almost groaned in frustration at his behavior. Yes, she'd had patients like him before, she was used to it, but that didn't mean she had to like it. She started snipping the fine thread and pulled it out carefully with the tweezers. She was on the fourth one, when Daryl, for whatever reason, couldn't hold it in anymore.

"He yer boyfriend now or somethin'?"

Teddy looked up at the back of his head with a confused frown on her face. "Is who my boyfriend?"

"Hanson. That lawyer."

Teddy had to stop herself from cutting for a moment because she had to laugh out loud. "Oh gosh no. No. No. No, no, no, no, no. God no. Why would you even think that?"

"Saw ya the other night. Looked pretty handsy ta me."

"On his part maybe, surely not on mine. My parents tried to set me up with him."

"And ya ain't interested?"

"Nope. Nice guy, but not my type. All he talked about was his job, I almost fell asleep during dinner. I was so bored I zoned out and didn't even realize he wasn't taking me home straight away. Did we walk past you? I didn't even notice that if we did."

"Was at the bar. Just saw y'all from 'cross the street."

"Ah. Yeah, the noise from the bar made me snap back to reality and realize where I was. Made him take me home then."

"He try ta kiss ya or somethin'?" The question slipped out before Daryl was able to shut his mouth. He surprised himself with that one.

Teddy stared at his head with an amused expression before she went back to pulling out the threads. What a guy. He didn't like talking about himself, but he sure liked asking questions about others. Maybe he liked knowing more about other people. Maybe it gave him a sense of security while dealing with them if he was able to figure them out better.

"No, he didn't. I think he got the hint when I wouldn't even loop arms with him."

"Didn't look like he got no hint from the way he touched ya. Fucked up that he didn't take ya straight home neither when that's what ya wanted." Daryl grumbled. He wasn't Casanova by any standard, but he knew that disrespecting the lady's wishes was a no go. Pfff and that guy was supposed to be smart.

"I know, right? That didn't earn him any brownie points at all." She pulled out the last bit of thread that was stuck in his skin and put her tools on the table. "And you are as good as new. Just a small red line left and that will fade in the coming weeks."

"Wouldn't make a difference if it didn't. Already a mess." Daryl mumbled bitterly and grabbed for his shirt.

"Believe it or not, but I've seen even worse." Teddy told him, shuddering internally when she remembered the badly injured little boy.

Daryl's head whipped around and he looked at her with a mixture of surprise and curiosity. "Really? Worse?"

"Yes, back in Seattle. 11-year old boy. A lot of scars much like yours from a belt buckle and from wooden sticks from a tree in the backyard. They used him as an ashtray, too. Put out their cigarettes on his skin, all over his body. When he came in they had beaten him to a pulp. Broken ribs, broken arm, fractured jaw... it was horrible. The worst I've ever seen."

Daryl nodded, thinking that compared to that little boy, he'd been lucky. "Sucks. Did he have ta go back?"

"No, his parents were arrested and have to spend a couple of years in jail. He got placed with another family that ended up adopting him. He survived, but what he went through will never go away. It will be a lifelong struggle,... but I guess you know that even better than me."

Daryl looked up at her through his bangs and chewed on his bottom lip while he nodded. He had finished buttoning his shirt and got up from the chair, intent on leaving, but when he was faced with the chaos in her living room once more, he hesitated and looked around.

"Ya gonna set all this up just by yerself?" he asked and motioned to the pieces of wood on the floor.

"Yes. I've done it many times before, I can do it. Well usually I can do it. This one right here is a little bitch though. It's a set that consists of five shelves and cupboards and instead of putting all the pieces of one shelf in one single box they mixed it up and put stuff from shelf number 1 in one box with stuff from shelves number 2 and 5, you know. I have to open every frigging box just to put together one of the five pieces." Teddy explained the whole mess that was littering her living room.

Daryl once again nodded while he looked around some more. "I could help..." he finally offered, looking back at her shyly.

"Really? That would be awesome, but I don't wanna keep you from anything." Teddy's smile lit up her whole face and for some reason it made Daryl blush, so he quickly looked away again.

"Ain't got no plans tonight. Ya helped me out, only fair to return the favor."

"Okay, just so you know, I really wasn't expecting anything in return, so you really don't have to feel obligated to do this." Teddy wanted to make it perfectly clear that she hadn't planned this in any way. She had asked her brother to help, but he was on a little weekend trip with Maggie.

"It's fine. Ain't gonna leave ya in a lurch. C'mon, show me what it's s'pposed to look like when it's finished."

Teddy smiled to herself while she crouched down on the floor and looked for the instructions. She sure hadn't expected the day to turn out like this, but she was pleasantly surprised and happy that it had. Seems like all that hoping that he would call she had done had paid off for once. She tried telling herself that she really just had been worried about her patient, but deep deep down she knew the giddiness she felt over Daryl being in her apartment told another story. She was pretty sure she would very soon find herself in big trouble, but she also knew she wouldn't be able to keep it from happening one way or another. The only thing she could do was try to play it cool and just deal with it.

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**Wow, I am humbled by how supportive you guys are. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing, don't ever stop because it keeps me going.**

**Every reviewer gets a thank you-PM from now on, since it is easier to manage for me.**

**Thank you to the guests that left a review, Tom and snowbird. Unfortunately I can't thank you via PM due to your guest status. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Warning: This chapter contains a racial slur. **

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Chapter 4

"Can ya hold this? It ain't too heavy for ya?" Daryl was a little nervous that she'd hurt herself if she dropped the heavy shelf that was supposed to be hung on the wall above the TV . It was as wide as Teddy was tall and she'd have to hold it up by herself for the most part while he put the screws in to hang it on the wall. She had already scratched up her arm to the point of drawing blood when a bookshelf had slipped out of her grasp while she had tried to turn it in order to attach the back and the sharp corner had dug itself into her skin. Daryl had been a little impressed when she had just shrugged it off and had kept going instead of complaining about it.

"I can hold it for a minute. We got the cordless screwdriver, so it shouldn't even take a minute. It won't be a problem." Teddy assured him.

"Alright, but the moment ya can't hold it no more, ya tell me, got it?"

"Yes, sir." She grinned, liking that he cared enough to worry about her like that in that moment.

"'Kay, on three. One, two, three." Daryl helped her lift the thing and as soon as it was in place he quickly put in the first screw, then went around her to the other side and put in the second one. "Alright, let go."

Teddy slowly removed her hands and handed him the remaining two screws for the bottom of the shelf. "Nice. Looks good." she smiled and wiped a bit of dust off the shelf.

"Yeah. Only one more ta go and then ya can unpack these damn moving boxes." Daryl said while he wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. He kept bumping into the boxes containing her belongings, that were standing all around the living room and he feared he might break something sooner or later if he kept knocking them over.

"That's right. Finally. Three weeks of living out of cardboard boxes is more than enough." Teddy agreed and smiled at him. During their time setting up her stuff together Daryl's demeanor had changed a little bit. His voice wasn't as gruff anymore and he'd snapped at her a little less and his features were a teeny tiny bit more relaxed, but he barely ever looked directly at her. Still, it was an infinitesimal amount of progress and any kind of progress was good. While she looked at him she caught sight of the wall clock in the kitchen. They had been at it for over two hours. "Daryl, have you eaten before you came here?"

He just shook his head and Teddy sighed. "Me neither and I'm getting lightheaded. Wanna order a pizza or something? I'm afraid I'm not much of a cook. Wouldn't be doing you any favors."

"'Kay..." he shrugged with a frown. Why would she say she wasn't a good cook? She'd made these lumpy bacon-cheese things for the party and those had been delicious. Maybe she didn't wanna cook for him, he thought dejectedly. "Ya made those things..." he said, because he was a sucker for torture and wanted to hear her say that she didn't wanna make anything for him. The rational part of his brain told him he was being incredibly stupid. She didn't have to make him anything, it was kind enough of her to offer him anything at all. Unfortunately, the rational part of his brain got subdued by the irrational part that told him that he wasn't worth cooking for.

"I did, yes. It's the only thing I really know how to make, because it's so freaking easy. I can't even make mac and cheese right." Teddy explained and Daryl scoffed loudly.

"Yeah... right." Even he knew how to make mac and cheese, it was fucking fool proof. She really was fucking with him.

"What? You don't believe me? Alright, I'm not gonna let you call me a liar. I'll prove it to you. Come with me." She motioned for him to follow her into the kitchen. "But we're gonna order the pizza anyway. Trust me, we'll need it!"

Daryl followed her, this he wanted to see. He didn't care how late he'd get home tonight, he needed her to prove it. Teddy ordered a pepperoni pizza before she started cooking. They didn't talk, Daryl wasn't in the mood, because he didn't know what to make of Teddy right now. He was torn between trusting her and not trusting her. She seemed nice enough, but he still had his doubts about her being genuine, especially with the whole cooking thing now. So he sat there in silence and watched her like a hawk as she cooked the macaroni, made a roux, stirred in the cheese and put everything in a casserole and mixed it. He watched her brown some breadcrumbs and spread them over the macaroni and cheese. She did it the same way he always made his mac and cheese. It would turn out fine. She had to be lying. He was tempted to leave right away and let her do the rest of the assembly on her own, but he couldn't wait for her to explain why today of all days her mac and cheese had turned out perfect. When she put it in the oven he got up and nodded his head in the direction of the living room.

"Let's get some work done while it's cookin'." He let her leave the kitchen first to make sure she didn't do anything to the food. Yes, he was suspicious like that. They started putting together the last cupboard, Teddy grabbed one of the boards, but Daryl took it out of her hand and put the small door handles in her palm. "Let me worry bout the big stuff." he told her in a way that made Teddy go a little weak in the knees. The doorbell distracted her and she was grateful for it. She got her wallet and went to pay the pizza guy. She put the pizza box on the couch, because she had yet to put together the coffee table and attached the door handles to the doors of the cupboard. Daryl had just finished putting the whole thing together when the timer announced that the mac and cheese was ready to be taken out of the oven. Teddy brought the pizza with her and placed it on the kitchen table before she retrieved the casserole from the oven. She took out a plate and a serving spoon and heaped some of it on his plate and put it in front of him.

"Enjoy." she smiled and crossed her arms over her chest and watched him.

Daryl shot her a look while he grabbed the fork and stabbed it into the pasta. He frowned because it looked kind of runny. He scooped some of it into his mouth and chewed slowly. Teddy smiled triumphantly when she saw his expression change. "Told you."

"What the fuck...?" Daryl downright shuddered and spit the food back onto the plate unceremoniously. "The fuck did ya do? It's like it's fucking burnt and undercooked at the same time. Christ." He was stunned. He had watched her, no funny business had been going on. How the fuck had she been able to ruin this? It was easily the worst thing he had ever tasted.

"Aren't you glad that I ordered that pizza now? Like I said, the only thing I make right are those pizza dough things. I cook for myself sometimes, but I usually don't let others suffer with me." Teddy said and grabbed the casserole and dumped it contents into the trash.

"Ya gotta learn how ta cook if ya wanna live here. Ain't too many places around ta eat at. Much less ones that deliver." Daryl had learned that the hard way once. There were only so many burgers and pizzas you could stomach. Sometimes your body needed something good. A hunting buddy of his had gotten him a book years ago with recipes on how to cook his kills. He'd fared pretty well with that one. Often he didn't feel like cooking, but if he'd had enough of junk food he knew his way around the kitchen a little and was able to make himself something decent.

"I tried, trust me Daryl I took classes and everything. I just don't possess any talent in that area. Pretty much everything I make turns out disgusting. I don't know where I go wrong, I always stick to the recipes and instructions, but it never works. Here, have a beer to wash away the taste and then let's dig into that pizza." She handed him a bottle before she sat down opposite him and grabbed a slice of pizza for herself.

"Thanks for helping me, Daryl. Seems like I wouldn't have been able to do it by myself after all. At least not hanging that big ass shelf." she smiled after swallowing her first bite, watching him look up into her eyes for just a split-second before he lowered his eyes again and gave a nod.

"Why ain't your bro helpin' ya out? Though y'all were tight?"

"He and Maggie are having a shag-fest at some Bed and Breakfast in Marietta." Teddy said casually, looking up in surprise when Daryl sputtered, an amused smirk turning up the corners of his lips.

"Ran outta places ta do it round here, huh?" he said, still sporting that cute little smirk.

"Yeah, they've already done it here, in my apartment. I haven't even had sex in here and I freaking live here."

"Caught them down at the shop once. Bet her pop would whip yer bro's ass if he knew what they were up to. He's a friend of the bible from what I hear."

"Hershel? Yes, he wasn't too fond of Billy at first, but it's been two years, it's serious and Hershel knows he loves Maggie and takes care of her, so they're cool now."

"Who's Milo?" Daryl asked, looking at the tattoo on her wrist. He'd already seen it the night of the party and kept wondering about it. It was a black tree with little colorful balloons floating around it and underneath the roots it said 'Milo'. He noticed how Teddy froze for a second while she grabbed for another slice. She went completely quiet for a moment and Daryl knew he'd fucked up by asking about it.

"My son." she answered after a couple of seconds and Daryl frowned. She had a kid? He hadn't seen any pictures of a kid around the living room. Her brother had never mentioned his sister having a kid either and there didn't seem to be a room for the kid in this apartment.

"He ain't livin' with ya?"

"He's not living period." Teddy said quietly and he saw the sadness pass over her features and Daryl felt like shit for causing it.

"'m sorry. Shouldn't have asked."

"No that's okay. There was no way for you to know. People ask all the time. My own fault for putting the tattoo there of all places. Didn't really think that one through, I guess, but I don't have the heart to have it covered up or removed." She quickly sobered back up and smiled, even though it didn't quite reach her eyes this time. "Do you want some parmesan to put on your pizza?"

"Uhm,... yeah... sure." Daryl kept his mouth shut afterwards, afraid that more stupid questions might come out of it. After they were sated they finished connecting all the pieces of the shelves and Daryl pushed and pulled on everything to make sure it was secure and wouldn't drop or topple over.

"It looks great. I can't thank you enough Daryl. Now I can spend tomorrow getting this room done. Finally. Couldn't have done it without you." She beamed at him, while she absentmindedly rubbed her hand over the big scratch on her other arm.

"Don't have ta thank me for nuthin'. Yer arm gonna be okay?" he nodded in the direction of the bloody, red scratch.

"Oh yeah, I'll put something on it after my shower. It'll be fine."

"I'll get outta yer hair, let ya get to it. Want me ta take all this trash down to the dumpster?" he asked and motioned towards the shredded cardboard boxes and all the packaging material the shelves had been wrapped in.

"Oh no, that's fine, you've really done more than enough. Thank you. It was sweet of you to ask, though." She smiled and gently touched her fingertips to his bare arm for a little second while they walked to the door.

That little gesture made him blush and he quickly ducked his head down and let his hair fall in his face to cover up the redness in his cheeks as much as possible.

"Thanks for the food. Bye." he abruptly made his exit, barely giving Teddy a chance to send him off properly.

"Bye. Get home safely!" she shouted after him and laughed with a shake of her head while closing the door. What a guy.

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The next month passed so quickly it made her head spin. She finally felt at home in Jasper, she loved working at the practice, the people were nice and she had adjusted to constantly having her parents around. Once she had fully gotten into the swing of things, she had started socializing a little instead of bothering Billy and Maggie all the time. She had met some nice people and was slowly becoming friends with a young woman called Annabelle Bricks, or Anna for short. They went jogging together in Jasper Park every other day and liked getting coffee at Deb's bakery and just talk about things. It was nice to have somebody to call and catch up with. She had seen Daryl around town a couple of times, but never talked to him, mostly because every time she saw him, he was with a group of people outside the bar or on the parking lot of Wal Mart. She wasn't shy by any means, but she also wasn't going to just go up to that group of strangers and chat him up. She assumed he wouldn't be comfortable with her doing so. The cute redneck still snuck his way into her thoughts every now and then and sometimes she would ask Billy how his colleague was doing and she perked up and listened intently when Billy told her something Daryl-related from work. She had told him how Daryl had helped her out and Billy had thanked him for it at work later. Daryl had just shrugged it off with a 'was nothin', but secretly he felt good about having been able to help and that she had mentioned it to her brother.

He'd spotted her around town a couple of times, too. It wasn't like she was constantly occupying his thoughts day by day, but still Daryl found himself thinking about her quite often. Especially at night when he was sprawled out on his couch and the television program failed to catch his interest, he wondered what she was doing right that moment. He wondered how her apartment looked now and if she felt at home. He also wondered if she had met a guy by now. He didn't really think so, if she had it surely would have been talked about around town and Billy might have mentioned something in conversation. He often talked to Wade and Gus about plans for the weekend and when he mentioned his sister he always said that 'Teddy is coming' instead of 'Teddy and whoever are coming'. Even though he had no business thinking about things like that, it satisfied something inside of him knowing she wasn't dating anybody.

After a lazy weekend Teddy crawled into bed at 10 pm on a Sunday night. It was her weekend being on-call and it had been surprisingly quiet and uneventful. She instantly knew it was about to change when she heard her phone beep shortly after she had started to doze off. There had been a fight at a gas station and a guy had been injured and had passed out and they wanted her to check him out before they took him to the station to sleep it off. She told them to bring the guy to the office and got out of bed to get changed and drove to her place of work.

The stench of alcohol hit her as soon as she had gotten out of her car and walked towards the two officers that where holding up an older man between them.

"Let's get him inside." Teddy said and led the way. She unlocked the door and turned on the lights and had them put the guy on the exam table. She checked him over quickly with her eyes and noticed a couple of lacerations and bruises and a nasty swelling on his arm.

"Do you know the guy?" She asked the officers, while she put her gloves on to examine the man who she assumed to be in his late sixties. Maybe he was a patient and they would have a file on him that could help her out with some stuff.

"Yes. His name is Will Dixon. Used to be a regular with us, but haven't heard anything in a couple of months. Guess he came back out of hiding." Teddy nodded her acknowledgment while she went to work. She took his vitals and then pushed his eyelids open to shine her light into it and sighed.

"Woah."

"What is it?" One of the officers asked.

"His eyes are as yellow as a lemon. We are definitely looking at liver disease here. He's going to the hospital. He needs an x-ray for that arm, anyway. Looks broken. I'll call an ambulance." Teddy took off her gloves as she walked over to the desk and fired up the computer. She dialed an ambulance and held the receiver between her ear and shoulder while she typed the name of the guy into the search field of their database. While she typed she suddenly remembered where she had heard that last name before and just a second later her thoughts were confirmed. They had a file on Will Dixon and his emergency contact was Daryl Dixon. She told the operator the address of where to pick Will up and hung up and her cold eyes went back to Will. So that was the guy who was very probably responsible for the scars on Daryl's back. She had the strong urge to keep him here until he woke up and then try to set the broken bone in his arm. She'd probably need a couple of more tries than just one and he would deserve every bit of pain it would cause.

"Have you guys called Daryl yet?" She turned her attention back to the police officers who shook their heads at the question.

"No, would have done it once we had him down at the station."

"I'll take care of it." She told them, trying to suppress the joy of being able to talk to him again after so long, this was after all no laughing matter. The ambulance soon arrived and Teddy told the medics what she knew and sent them off. She went back in and sat down at the desk and moved the mouse of the computer so the screensaver would vanish and she would be able to read off Daryl's number from the screen. Her heart started beating faster when she pressed the last number and she felt shaky on the inside when it started ringing and she knew she'd hear his voice soon. Funny how much of a teenager adults were when it came to talking to people they might or might not have a crush on.

"Hello?" her breath hitched and she had to clear her throat before she was able to speak.

"Daryl? This is Teddy,... Robertson?" There was silence on the other end of the line and Teddy could practically feel the confusion radiate off of him.

"Know who ya are. What you callin' for? How'd ya even get ma number?" He was behaving as lovely as ever, but Teddy couldn't really hold it against him. Getting calls at eleven at night was never a good thing.

"You're the emergency contact for your father..."

"Awww shit, c'mon... really? Fine, where is he? He still with you? I'll pick him up." Daryl sighed defeatedly.

"No he isn't here anymore. I had to send him to the hospital. They are taking him to Piedmont Moutainside. He was in a fight, his arm is broken and there might be more going on."

"Shit man, I was in bed already." he sounded more upset about not being able to sleep than about his father, but it didn't come as a surprise to Teddy.

"Do you want me to drive you there?"

"I know how ta drive!" he snapped at her, but felt bad about it a second later. So far Teddy had always been nice to him, he really had to watch that mouth of his if he wanted to stay on good terms with her, he realized. "Sorry,... is it serious or something?"

"It looks like it might be, yeah." Teddy said and was met with silence for a little while.

"Could ya, like, meet me there? I won't have no clue what those quacks will be talking bout anyway." he asked hesitantly, making Teddy smile.

"Yeah, sure. I'll just lock up here and be on my way. We can meet outside the hospital."

"Fine. I'll see ya there." he hung up without another word and Teddy shook her head with a little smile.

"We're gonna have to work on your phone manners, sweetie." she understood, though. He was pissed off about having to get up late at night and taking a drive to the hospital to visit the man who'd abused him for years from the looks of it. She wouldn't be too happy about that either.

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She spotted him right away when she walked up to the entrance of the hospital. He was more disheveled than usual and was wearing black jeans and a black hoodie and it looked like he wanted to burrow himself inside of it as deeply as possible. He was obviously cold and he looked very tired and Teddy just wanted to hug him hard and give him warmth and comfort. He looked like a lost little boy, it reminded her so much of all the scared children she had worked with over the years. They just greeted each other with a 'hey' and quickly walked inside and asked about his father. Apparently they were performing tests on him and they would have to wait some time before the doctor would be able to tell them anything and Daryl and Teddy were asked to head to the waiting area to do just that: wait."

"We're gonna be here quite a while, Daryl. Can I get you some coffee or anything else?"

"Coffee's fine. With cream."

"I'll be right back." Teddy smiled and went to the cafeteria to get them two big coffees. Daryl thanked her when she handed him the hot paper cup and took a careful sip before he looked over at her, quickly looking down at her shoulder when she caught his gaze.

"What's wrong with him? Ya said there might be more."

"He definitely has some sort of liver dysfunction. His eyes were completely yellow. They have to check out what exactly is going on now and find out how bad it is."

"That's from drinking, right?"

"Not always, but in his case, yes. His file said he's an alcoholic?"

"For as long as I can remember. Wonder he's survived this long."

"Some people are incredibly resilient." Teddy studied him for a moment, noticing just how tired he looked. "Are you doing okay? How have you been?"

"Fine, I guess." he shrugged.

"That doesn't sound very convincing." She smiled. "Saw you a couple of times around town, but I didn't wanna bother you."

"Ya could've. Wouldn't have minded." he carefully cast a sideway glance at her and for the first time Teddy really noticed the beautiful shade of blue of his eyes, because it was the very first time he looked into her eyes for longer than a split-second and without scowling even. And she had to admit, up until now his bare arms and lean body had drawn her attention for most of the time. This time it was about three seconds before he averted his gaze again and Teddy had to keep herself from smiling too big. Progress again.

"Well, our very first meeting gave me the impression that you would have minded very much." she laughed, remembering that day in the bakery almost two months ago.

"Didn't know ya back then."

"You were also with a group of people each time. Didn't want to interrupt."

Daryl nodded and chewed frantically on the inside of his bottom lip, shooting nervous glances in her direction, before he finally spit out what was on his mind.

"Ya could talk ta me,... if ya caught me alone. Wouldn't mind then."

Darn, he was cute. How was it possible for a guy that was so rude and abrasive for the most part to be so endearing at other times? She remembered what Billy had told her once. That the tough act was just an act. Seemed like that was the truth. Not entirely an act, she was sure he really was a real tough guy, but she bet that he was also really very nice once you got to really know him. Unfortunately it didn't seem like he would let people get to know him like that. Probably just a few very carefully chosen ones.

"I'll keep it in mind." Teddy smiled and nudged him gently with her elbow, getting a tiny smile out of him in the process.

"Man, what's taking so long?" he sighed and rubbed his hands over his thighs nervously. He hated hospitals, he hated waiting and while he liked not being alone for once in this situation, being around Teddy made him nervous. He just never knew what to say.

"They have a lot of work to do. Reset his arm, put a cast on it, do some blood work and an ultrasound. It's probably gonna be a while longer."

"Awesome." he sighed deeply and leaned back and slowly finished his coffee. He startled a little, when he felt suddenly felt Teddy's small hand gently squeezing his knee. He blushed looking down at her hand on him, not because of the contact itself, but because of the weird tingling feeling it caused inside his belly.

"Why don't you close your eyes and try to sleep a little. I'll wake you up as soon as the doctor shows up."

"Ain't you tired?"

"A little, but I have a lot of practice staying up for long hours. I used to work in a hospital, sometimes I wouldn't see the inside of my apartment for two to three days straight. I'm fine, plus I just had this gigantic coffee, that'll help me staying up. You just get some rest."

Daryl nodded and tried to get comfortable. He usually wasn't too comfortable sleeping in public, but he'd been in the woods all day on a boar hunt. Sometimes he hunted not just for himself, but for money and that he could always use. He wished he could make that his day job, but unfortunately he didn't have enough people asking him to do that for him to make a living out of it. It didn't take long for Teddy to hear his breathing even out and she was glad that he was able to rest for a little while. It also gave her the opportunity to look at him without him catching her doing it.

Boy he looked young when his face was completely relaxed. She had never seen him like that before, giving her an idea just how tense he was all of the time. He had really nice features. She would almost dare to call them pretty. Of course real men weren't pretty, they were handsome and gorgeous and masculine and she didn't mean pretty in a demeaning way, but there was just something really beautiful about him, He looked so different from when he was awake, it once again brought up the urge to touch him and be gentle with him and hug him. She contented herself with looking only, though. Touching him in his sleep would be kind of creepy, they didn't know each other that well.

It was well over another hour until a doctor approached them. Teddy put her hand on Daryl's shoulder and shook him softly. "Daryl? The doctor is here."

Daryl woke right up and rubbed his eyes before he turned his attention to the grey-haired doctor.

"You are Mr. Dixon's son?"

"Yeah. What's wrong with him?"

"We ran some tests and the results show that your father is suffering from acute liver cirrhosis caused by decades worth of alcohol abuse." The doctor explained and Daryl looked at Teddy questioningly.

"It means that his liver tissue has been replaced by scar tissue, which prevents his liver from functioning properly. Acute means that it's quite advanced." Teddy explained to him in regular English.

"Exactly." The doctor nodded.

"So? What now? Does it go away with meds?" Daryl didn't even look at the doctor, he kept looking at Teddy or more precisely, at her mouth. He couldn't bring himself to keep looking into her big, green eyes for longer than just a short glance.

"It's a condition that cannot be reversed, we can only try to keep it from progre-" the doctor started explaining, but Daryl cut him off rudely.

"I asked HER."

Teddy almost had to laugh at the way the doctor was arching his eyebrow at Daryl with an incredulous look. She quickly caught herself to give him an answer.

"Like he said, the scar tissue won't go away again, but there are ways to keep it from getting worse."

"Like what?"

"He has to stop drinking. That is pretty much the only way. No more alcohol and a healthy diet. If he keeps drinking it means certain death." Teddy told him.

"But even if he stopped drinking then he would still need a transplant in the long run. You as his son might be able to donate or we put him on the transplant list, but it often takes years to find a suitable organ." The doctor cut in.

"How can we find out if I am able to donate?" Daryl asked, this time turning his attention to the doctor.

"Just a simple blood test. We could do it right now and then you can go see him."

"Let's do it." Daryl nods decisively and Teddy cleared her throat. "Um Daryl,... does your dad have insurance?"

"Nah, why?"

"If you turn out to be a match,... well,... you know, transplant surgeries are really expensive." she said carefully and Daryl sighed deeply.

"How much?" he asked the doctor.

"You are looking at about 150,00 – 200,000 dollars." the doctor replied and Daryl felt faint. There was no way to get that kind of money. But it was his father, he couldn't just let him die, right? He drummed the fingers of his left hand against his thigh while he chewed his lip thoughtfully for a moment.

"Take my blood and test me. I'll figure something out."

Teddy bit her lip and kept quiet, she didn't want to make a scene in front of the doctor. She wondered how exactly he wanted to make that work and for someone who used to beat the shit out of him. The doctor lead the way and Teddy waited outside the room while a nurse took Daryl's blood. Next up was seeing his father.

"I'll wait outside the room again. Okay?" Teddy asked him. She didn't want to leave him alone, Daryl had gotten more fidgety the closer they had gotten to the room his father was in.

"Thanks." Daryl said quietly and took a deep breath, before he went in.

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Daryl entered the room and sighed when he saw his father standing on wobbly legs in front of the hospital bed, completely naked, and looked around the room. He winced, closed his eyes and looked away for a moment at the sight of his father's exposed genitals.

"Shit, Pa. What are ya doin'? Daryl told himself to keep his eyes straight ahead while he quickly grabbed the hospital gown and wrapped it around his father's body.

"There ya are. Took ya long enough." Will snarled at his son while he tried to push Daryl's hands away. "Don't touch me you faggy bastard. Go find me ma clothes. One of 'em damn nigger nurses stole them."

"They probably burned 'em. I'll bring ya some new ones tomorrow after work."

"You'll get them right the fuck now. We're getting outta here. Ain't gonna stay with these damn idiots."

"Ya can't leave, Pa. You're sick. Real sick, alright?" Daryl tried to get his father back in bed, but Will was still strong enough to give him a good fight.

"Nonsense. I'm Will Dixon, I ain't never getting sick. Bunch of idiots just want me ta line their pockets with ma hard earned cash. Think I'm stupid, but I ain't stupid. Tellin' me ta stop drinkin'. They don't know nothin'." Will shouted while he shoved Daryl around.

"Ya gotta listen to them, Pa. Ya gotta stay and get better. Yer liver is shot ta hell, ya hear me? You're gonna die if ya don't stop. That's what ya want? Ta die?" Daryl pleaded with his father, but to no avail.

"I ain't fuckin' dying. I'm a Dixon. Dixon's don't die easy. But you don't know shit about that. Yer just a damn pussy, a little momma's boy. You ain't no real Dixon. You ain't no son of mine. Yer whore of a momma musta stepped out on me with one of em fucking democrats from down the street. Ain't no way yer mine." Will kept shoving Daryl and punching at him with his cast, not caring about hurting himself further. Daryl didn't do anything to stop him, he just let it happen. He was unable to fight back, just like when he was a little boy. His father's rage had always had a paralyzing effect on him.

Teddy meanwhile had heard every word while she waited right outside the door. Especially Will hadn't been exactly quiet. Her heart broke for Daryl and she realized how damn loyal he was, even to the people who hurt him the most. His father was a bastard who physically and mentally abused him and still Daryl was willing to do everything to save his father's life. When she heard things getting knocked over she quickly alerted the hospital personnel.

"We need a little help here. Your patient is getting violent!" she shouted towards the nurses station and shortly after orderlies a nurse and a doctor stormed the room and Will was pulled off of Daryl and pushed on the bed to be sedated. Teddy quickly grabbed Daryl's hand, who still seemed to be in a paralyzed state and gently tugged him out of the room. Thankfully he went with her willingly. She pulled him with her all the way out of the hospital before she stopped and turned to look at him. She put her hand on his cheek and searched his eyes, relieved to see him blink and coming out of his shell-shocked state. This time he held eye contact and the look he gave her broke Teddy's heart. He looked devastated and so unbelievably sad it was sheer overwhelming. Teddy wrapped her arms around his waist and did what she had wanted to do all night, she hugged him as hard as she could.

"I'm sorry." she said quietly and then rubbed her hands over his back comfortingly before she pulled away. "Let's go home. There's nothing left to do here."

Daryl hadn't returned the hug, but that didn't mean that he hadn't enjoyed it. It had felt good and it had warmed him up a little and given him enough strength to gather his bearings and come back to his senses. He felt drained and exhausted and all he wanted to do now was curl up in bed and sleep and forget all about what had just happened.

"Do you think you are okay to drive?" Teddy asked him when she noticed him getting back to his old self. His face tensed up again, his posture straightened and the scowl returned.

"I'm fine. Nothin' I ain't used to. It's just 6 miles anyway."

"Sure?"

"I said I was fine." he snapped and started walking toward his truck without another word. He suddenly realized that Teddy must have heard what his father had said to him and that he had been too weak to fight back and it made him feel deeply ashamed and his fight or flight instinct kicked in. In this instant he fled from Teddy and fought with her inside his head, while Teddy watched him stride away with a sigh.

'Who the fuck does she think she is? I ain't one of her fucked up kids. I don't need her stupid hugs. Don't need no one holdin' ma damn hand. Don't need her fucking pity. Fuck her!' he thought angrily,unloading all the anger that was actually directed at himself and his father on her.

Teddy quickly jogged to her own car and followed him at a safe distance to make sure he got back home safely. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him walk inside the building he lived in safe and sound and drove home. All she wanted was to sleep, she only had three hours left before she had to get back up for work, but sleep eluded her. She just couldn't stop thinking about Daryl. He was a man of so many contradictions, it confused the shit out of her, but God help her, she liked him. Even though it had been such a shitty night, she had really enjoyed his company. To just sit next to him and be able to look at him. She really hoped it wouldn't take another month until she saw him again.

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**Thank you for reading, following and favoriting! Thank you for all your support, especially the ones that take the extra time to leave a review. It is very much appreciated and gets me to stay up a little longer at night to write some more and trust me, that is no easy feat these days:-)**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Teddy was cursing her body for how quickly it had gotten used to getting about 8 hours of sleep each night. It had taken her almost a year to be able to tolerate very little sleep but it had only taken a couple of weeks for her body to get used to long hours of sleep again. Spending most of the night in the hospital with Daryl had left some traces on her face. She was paler than usual and she had to use concealer to get rid of the shadows underneath her lower eyelids. She was so goddamn tired, even her face felt like it was exhausted and her eyes were burning and constantly brimming with tears from yawning, but she wouldn't have it any other way. Daryl had needed her, she was sure of that. Who knew how much further it would have gone if she hadn't alerted the hospital personnel. Not to mention being alone in that shocked state that he'd been in, with only strangers surrounding him. Being tired today was worth it. It was probably a good thing that it was Monday and the waiting room was filled to capacity with patients that had injured themselves or had gotten sick over the course of the weekend. She was so busy she didn't even have time to take a break or think too much about Daryl. She knew she'd do tons of that as soon as she was home. Still she was glad when the last patient left. It was already six pm, usually they closed at five pm, but you can't kick out a person in need of medical attention. She didn't even say bye to her father that day, she had filled him in about Will Dixon during the morning, leaving out the fact that she had stayed at the hospital with Daryl. She didn't need a talk about how these Dixon folks are no good. The look her father had given her just by mentioning the name had told her more than enough.

God she was tired. She hadn't been this tired in years. That was why she thought she might have fallen asleep and that what she was seeing was just a dream. When she entered her apartment building and rounded the corner that led to her place, she saw Daryl sitting on the floor with his back against her apartment door. She stopped short and just stared at him, not knowing if that was really happening or if she was dreaming it. Daryl got up when he spotted her and turned his back on her and picked something up from the floor before he turned back to face her. Teddy approached him slowly, not knowing what to expect. She noticed that he was biting his lip again, showing her in his own way that he was nervous. He shifted his weight a couple of times and kept shooting shy glances at her while she got closer and suddenly his right arm shot out towards her, so fast that it startled the fuck out of her and she actually took a step back in shock. Taking that step back helped her to properly look at him and realize what he was doing. There he stood, a grown-ass man looking like a little boy with his shoulders slumped, his head down, his eyes peeking up at her carefully and his arm outstretched, holding a single purple wildflower in his hand.

"'m sorry..." he mumbled, completing the picture of a rueful little boy and Teddy's eyes watered. She was touched by the cuteness of it all. She was tempted to give him another hug, but she refrained for now. She accepted the flower and smiled.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Daryl. I understand. It was a rough night."

He nodded and when he looked down again his eyes fell on the object he held in his other hand.

"Got something else for ya." he handed her an old notebook.

"What is this?" Teddy asked with a surprised smile as she took the book from him.

"It's a cookbook. A friend of mine gave it ta me when I started out with all that stuff. Helped me a great deal. He made it himself. It's handwritten. If ya have trouble readin' something, ya can jus' ask me,... if ya want. Maybe it helps ya, too."

"That's really sweet, Daryl, thank you." She smiled at the sweet gesture and browsed through some of the recipes. "Fried Bullfrog?"

"Yeah, they ain't bad actually. If ya need anythin' for those recipes, I can help ya out. I'm a hunter. I hunt. I go into them woods and-"

"Hunt?" Teddy finished for him with a smile.

"Yeah." Daryl blushed and gave a little awkward laugh. He dug his hands deeply into his pants pockets rolled up on the balls of his feet and back down, nervous energy radiating off of him in waves.

"Maybe you should just teach me how to cook. Sounds like you're the man for the job." she closed the book when she read something about squirrel brains and looked back at him. "Would you like to come in?"

He nodded eagerly and stepped aside so she could unlock the door. "I, um... got questions."

"I figured you would." she opened the door and led the way into the living room and pointed at the couch. "Have a seat. Would you like some water or 7up or coffee?"

"Coffee would be good. Fucking tired." he said and as to emphasize his point he rubbed his eyes tiredly while he sat on her couch.

"You and me both. Okay, one coffee coming right up." she walked into the kitchen, the heels of her black suede ankle booties clicking and clacking on the hardwood floor with every step. Daryl watched her leave, his eyes lingering on her swaying hips and butt that were dressed in dark skinny jeans. His hand was itching to slap itself down on the firm curve, she looked damn tempting in those pants. When she was out of view he looked around the living room that was no longer chaos central. The shelves were now filled with books, pictures and little trinkets, the only chaos left was on her coffee table with a bunch of magazines and letters laying around on it. There was stuff like Cosmopolitan mixed with medical magazine stuff and a gas bill from what he was able to make out. When she came back with the two mugs in her hands she quickly handed one to Daryl and put hers on the floor while she pushed all the magazines and pieces of paper into one neat pile in the middle of the table before she picked her mug up from the floor and sat down next to Daryl, leaving the proper amount of space between them to not get up in his personal space.

"Sorry, forgot to put those away yesterday." she apologized for the little mess on the table. "Now, what can I help you with?"

"I don't know what to do next. Need some advice, I guess. You're the only one I can ask bout that shit." he mumbled while he stared into his coffee.

"Okay. Honestly? You shouldn't do anything other than live your own life and let your father do his thing." Teddy told him candidly. The statement made his head whip up and he stared at her with narrowed eyes.

"The fuck are ya sayin'? I should let him die? Just like that? I ain't turnin' ma back on family." the snarl was back on his lips, but Teddy was unimpressed. After all she was used to it by now.

"Let me explain. Medically speaking, right now your father has the chance to save himself. All he has to do is stop drinking and he will stop the disease from progressing. That is all it takes. Yes, in the coming years he will need a transplant, but right now, he can help himself, just by getting help and getting clean. I'm not saying that you shouldn't give a fuck and turn your back, at least not yet. Wait and see if he is even interested in getting better. See if he takes the necessary steps to save his own life. If he does and you're a match, great you can go ahead and help him out, but if he keeps drinking, Daryl, then you are putting your own health at risk trying to save a man that is already dead."

"What's that mean?"

"Donating a piece of your liver is major surgery, Daryl. There are a ton of complications that could be happening and the morbidity rate for this procedure is pretty high, 35%. Just last year a young, perfectly healthy man died after donating a piece of his liver to his brother. There is risk of bleeding and infection or blood clots... Even if the surgery is a success and you are fine after spending a week at the hospital and you recover completely, there are still a ton of other factors that could hurt you. A ton of donors have chronic pain for the rest of their lives and have to have more surgeries and most of the time donors have problems with their biliary tract. You might look at a seriously reduced quality of life, Daryl. And for what? He walks out of there and straight to the next bar and drinks himself to death anyway. He's been an alcoholic for how long? A good 30 years? Do you honestly think that he will stop now?"

Daryl's deep defeated sigh was answer enough. "Guess I can't do nuthin', huh? Wouldn't even know how ta get that money. Not in a legal way."

He was sad, she could tell and it amazed her. He'd really hoped to be able to save him after everything that had been said and done.

Daryl tensed for the fraction of a second when he felt her warm hand on his bare forearm, his glance flicking from his mug down to his arm. How was it that it calmed him when she touched him? Must be because she's a doctor. Healing hands or shit like that.

"It was him, wasn't it? The scars? He gave them to you."

"Was a long time ago." he said in reply, keeping his eyes on her hand that was still resting on his arm.

"And yet he hasn't changed. He picked up right where he had left off the first chance he got. Don't risk your life for him Daryl. He doesn't care about you. That hurts like hell, I'm sure, but trust me, it won't change anything if you do this for him. He won't change. He'll just keep kicking you and from what I've learned about you so far, you do not deserve that at all. You're a good man and he doesn't deserve having you care about him." Teddy had started gently rubbing her thumb over the soft skin of the inside of his forearm while she talked and it made Daryl have this weird tingly feeling in his belly again and at the same time it calmed him to the point of feeling damn near serene.

"Why would ya even think that? All I do is yell at ya. You don't know nuthin' bout me. " he said, but his voice was soft.

"Maybe not in the traditional sense, but I know people. I know that your bark is worse than your bite. You are tough, but you also have a heart of gold. You care about things. You're loyal. You like helping people out. Yeah, you snap at me a lot, that's your bark. You wanna intimidate me and scare me off, so I won't be able to hurt you. I get it."

"Got me all figured out, hm Doc?" Daryl scoffed quietly, finally tearing his eyes away from the sight of her stroking his arm to look up at her with a tiny smile.

"God, not even close." Teddy laughed. "I feel like you are one of those Russian matryoshka dolls. Every single time I think I got you figured out, another side pops up."

"You spend a lot of time thinking bout me then?" he asked with an amused expression on his face and his eyebrows shot up in surprise when Teddy blushed and looked away and pulled her hand from his arm.

"Uhm, so tell me. Is there a store around here that seriously sells bullfrogs and squirrel brains?" Teddy changed the topic in a heartbeat. She had let her guard down and let it slip that she did think about him a lot. That was really awkward, especially when she wasn't sure if he was interested in her. Daryl kept looking at her with a mixture of surprise and suspicion, not replying and making her extremely nervous with his silent staring.

"Another coffee? Maybe I should dig through my cabinets for some cookies. You hungry? Oh, right, it's dinner time already..." She had gotten up and was wringing her hands nervously while she looked everywhere but at him. Oh he was seriously enjoying this. He liked getting a rise out of people and this right here, being able to make Teddy lose her cool, when he was usually the nervous one, was priceless.

"What's wrong? Why are ya so jumpy all of a sudden?"

"I'm not jumpy! Just hungry. You uhm... do you wanna stay for dinner?" She asked as casually as she could muster in that moment, which wasn't casual at all.

Daryl actually had to laugh at that. "I know how ya cook, Doc. I better pass. Can't afford ta be in bed sick for a week."

"Haha, very funny. It doesn't make you sick, it just tastes bad. I was just gonna pop some chicken nuggets in the oven. They're the pre-cooked ones, just have to heat them up."

"Nah, got some left over squirrel stew I gotta eat today. Thanks for the offer, though." he declined her invitation and finally got up as well.

"Right... Good one..." Teddy tried to hide her disappointment with a scoff.

"Ain't no joke. Thanks for the coffee."

"Thanks for the flower and the book. So you're headed home now?"

"Yeah. Goin' ta sleep early today. Been a long couple of days."

"Okay then,..." Teddy trailed off. She would love to spend some more time with him, she didn't know when she would see him next and was reluctant to let him go. Unfortunately she just didn't now what more to say right now.

Daryl stood there and rubbed his thighs and shifted his weight and then just reached out and ever so lightly touched her waist with two fingers for a second. "Just gimme a heads up if ya need anythin' for those recipes. I can go into the woods on the weekends and get stuff for ya. Got ma number in yer files, right?"

"Yeah. So I have your permission to use it for personal reasons instead of just for contacting you in case of an emergency?" she grinned shyly and bit her lip, a look Daryl found himself liking very much on her.

"Sure, go right ahead. Don't need ta give it ta you in writing, do I?" he smirked and Teddy was tempted to fan herself. Good Lord, was this really happening? Was he flirting with her a little?

"No, oral agreement is fine." She smiled and then they were back to standing in front of each other awkwardly. Daryl let his gaze sweep up her body one last time, letting the image imprint itself into his brain, before he gave her another couple of seconds of rare eye contact.

"Gotta go now,... see ya around Doc."

"Bye, Daryl." she smiled and closed the door behind him after he left, before she slumped against it with a huge smile and let out a deep breath.

"Wooooo,... and there was another doll popping up. Yup, not anywhere near done figuring him out." she talked to herself and grabbed their used mugs to take them to the dishwasher. Back in the kitchen she saw the flower she had put in a vase on the kitchen table. He'd brought her a flower. An actual flower. He must have picked it himself, it was one of them wild ones that grew near the Navajo Trail close to his neighborhood. He had gone out and had gotten that flower for her. The realization made her heart thump a little faster in her chest. It meant he cared enough about her to really show her that he was sorry about being snappy with her. It was sweet, albeit kind of old-fashioned, but Teddy liked old-fashioned. It made her wonder if there was another doll inside of him, one that was hiding a bit of an old-fashioned romantic in its belly. How cute would that be?

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After leaving Teddy's building, Daryl got in his truck and startled when he caught his own reflection in the rearview mirror. He was smiling. He hadn't even noticed that he was doing that. He let go of the key in the ignition and just sat back in his seat for a moment. Shit was happening. Good shit for once.

He hadn't been able to sleep after returning from the hospital, he hadn't been able to shut his mind down, the thoughts had just kept racing. He was torn between hating and worrying about his father. He didn't want to give a fuck about him, but unfortunately he did, even though the old bastard did not deserve it. At the same time he had felt bad about the fact that he was worrying more about Teddy hating him now, after he had snapped at her again, than he was worrying about the fate of his father. The thing was, Teddy hadn't had any reason to stay and wait with him at the hospital. She had done it because she had wanted to and it had been obvious, even to himself, that she hadn't really worried about his father. She had worried about him, Daryl. She had wanted to be there for him, he'd realized and it had made his heart beat faster and his stomach tighten.

Daryl was no fool. He knew what those physical reactions to her meant. He'd just never experienced them before. He'd liked girls before, but not quite the same way he liked Teddy, he'd realized in the wee hours of the morning. He'd been more like friends with the girls he'd been with. He had cared, but they hadn't made him feel like Teddy did. They barely knew each other and he had mostly only snapped at her and yet she had shown that she cared about him. That was the important part: she had SHOWN him. Actions spoke louder than words where Daryl was concerned.

The Dixons had a less than stellar reputation in Jasper, he knew that and he hated it. He hated carrying the Dixon stigma. The fact was, he was different from Merle and his father. He was embarrassed for them. It would be easy for him to step in his family's footsteps, but Daryl just didn't want that, so he fought anew, every single day, to break out of that damn Dixon mold everybody tried to push him in. He wanted to be more than just the dumb, rude hillbilly, but unfortunately very few people ever gave him a chance to be better and see past his last name, so he kept putting up his shields and didn't trust easily. With Teddy he started to feel that he could trust her to be genuine and honest and he didn't want to ruin it, so he had decided that he would definitely go see her to apologize and make things right and now he was real glad that he had done it. Her whole face had lit up when she had accepted the flower. He'd felt a little silly, but he'd figured pretty girls like her liked getting flowers and that it would help in showing that he meant his apology. The book he'd given her not because he thought it would help her (he was pretty sure all hope was lost with her cooking skills), but because he thought it might be a good way to give her a reason to get in touch with him if she wanted to and he hoped she would want to. He'd thoroughly enjoyed his visit with her. How she'd kept her hand on his arm and how he'd been able to make her all jumpy, that had been fun. He would be lying if he said he didn't want her, but honestly all he was hoping for right now was her friendship. He knew she had a reputation to uphold and would probably never ever consider getting involved with him, but hopefully she'd consider being friends with him. He sure as hell would keep his phone close to him from now on, he thought as he finally started his truck and pulled out of the parking lot.

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The next day at work Billy spent his lunch break with his colleagues in the break room when his cell phone started buzzing in his pocket. He checked the caller ID and answered.

"Hey Teddy, how's it going?" he greeted his sister and noticed Daryl's gaze snap over to him for a short moment.

"Hey Billy. I just wanted to tell you something real quick and I really hope you will give me your blessing and your support." Teddy told him, her voice happy and excited.

"Already not liking the way this conversation is going, but go ahead." he frowned and waited for what she had to say to him.

"I wanna date Daryl." Teddy grinned and Billy almost choked on his sandwich and looked at Daryl with wide eyes.

"What the fuck, Teddy? Does that mean you already did it? Or what?" his stare turned hard and Daryl suddenly felt very uncomfortable and looked everywhere but at Billy. Was Teddy telling her brother about his visit yesterday?

"No, no, no. I don't even know if he is interested. I think he might be and that's why I wanna try, you know?"

"Mhm... and what gave you the impression?"

"About Daryl being interested?"

"Yeah."

"You're acting weird. Is it really that big of a deal?" Teddy frowned. "You know, I'm gonna try my luck with him no matter what you say, but I don't want to fight with you about this and I would really love to have your support."

"Teddy, you do realize that I am at work right now, don't you?" Billy said.

"Yeah, so what?"

"Think."

"What the hell do you me-" Teddy suddenly realized what he meant and giggled. "Oh God, he's there with you! Oh, that's gotta be weird. I'm sorry, I was so excited, I didn't even think about that."

"Obviously. I don't know Teddy..." Billy trailed off and looked at the squirming redneck, who couldn't shake the feeling that he was part of the conversation between Billy and Teddy. "Fine, you have my support." He sighed deeply.

"Wow, could you sound any more dishonest?" Teddy frowned when she heard his tone of voice.

"Sorry. I'm just worried. Teddy, are you sure you wanna go through with this? Let me throw two names at you: Bernadette and Gerald. Still think it's a good idea?"

"I do. I'm not saying that I wanna marry Daryl, maybe he doesn't even want to date me, but I wanna try. I like him so much. Should I ignore my feelings just so our parents won't get upset? I get so happy when I see him, Billy." Teddy admitted to her brother and it tugged at his heartstrings. His eyes once more focused on Daryl who had lowered his head and kept shooting little insecure glances towards Billy.

"It's been so long since I heard you say something like that." A wistful smile appeared on Billy's lips. All he wanted was for his sister to be happy again. He would be the last person to stand in her way if she thought Daryl would be able to make her happy. "Alright, sis. I got your back. Whatever happens, I'll be there. Sound good?"

"I love you. Thanks Billy Goat."

"Don't call me that or I'll rescind my support." he threatened jokingly.

"Sorry. What is he doing... How's he look today?" Teddy grinned and then laughed out loud when she heard her brother groan.

"Goodbye, Teddy." He hung up quickly and pushed the phone back in his pants, shaking his head while he did it. "Women."

Daryl kept looking nervously at Billy, always waiting for him to say something, but he never did and after a while, he finally relaxed again. Maybe he had been wrong.

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At night Billy told Maggie about his conversation with Teddy and Maggie immediately picked up the phone to call her. She wanted details and Teddy was happy to share with someone objective like Maggie. She had already talked to Anna earlier, but she had been very adamant about the fact that "that Dixon guy" was no good for Teddy, causing Teddy to rethink the whole friendship thing with her.

"Daryl Dixon brought you a flower? Aaaawwww Teddy, that is so sweet! Who knew he had it in him? You know, in the 1950's that would have pretty much been a marriage proposal." Maggie smiled and then giggled when she heard Teddy's loud laugh.

"He brought me a cookbook, too. Probably wants to make sure he won't starve to death when he marries me." Teddy joked before she sobered up again. "So, I'm thinking there is at least a little bit of interest on his part. What do you think?"

"Well I would think so, too, but it is hard to tell. Maybe he really just wanted to apologize and thank you for your support." Maggie pondered out loud.

"True, BUT..."

"Uh there's a but? Do tell!"

"It's this cookbook full of funky recipes, like squirrels and frogs and fish and stuff like that. And he said twice that I should tell him if I needed something like that and that he would hunt it for me on the weekend. And he got a little flirty I think, he was all like, you got my number on file, right? Go ahead and use it."

Maggie laughed when she listened to Teddy. It was so weird to imagine stoic Daryl talking to Teddy like that. "Okay, okay, you are right. I think he is definitely interested. Damn, that's so cute. You're gonna be a smart girl and call him, right? Because it definitely sounds like he wants you to."

"Oh yes, I'll definitely call. I am just so goddamn nervous. Gosh I haven't done this dating stuff in such a long time, but I remember how awkward getting to know each other can be. The whole good night-kiss thing? And getting intimate at first? I call it the Blushing Game. It's so weird at first, I wish I could skip it."

"Noooo, are you crazy? Sure it's awkward, but it's also exciting, don't you think? Doing stuff together for the first time? Exploring? Finding out things about each other. I envy you. It's fun and in a couple of years you'll have a great laugh about these awkward first fumbling of hands."

"Yeah okay, I guess it's true. It is pretty damn exciting. When do you think I should call? I'm not sure. I would love to see him again tomorrow, but that might be a bit rushed."

"No Teddy, don't be like that. Go with your gut. If you wanna see him tomorrow, then call him up and invite him. Isn't there a recipe in that book of his that doesn't call for a special animal from the woods? Look if there is a recipe that calls for a chicken or beef or pork. Something you can get at the store."

"But if I can get it at the store, why would I call him?" Teddy was confused where Maggie was going with this.

"Because if you use something from those exotic recipes you will have to wait until the weekend for him to get that for you. Right? You said something about him going out to the woods on the weekend."

"Right."

"Right, so you wanna see him tomorrow? Find a suitable recipe, get the ingredients from the store and then call him up and ask him to teach you because you're lost. And of course you will invite him to stay with you to eat because he was so helpful. Tadaaaa, first dinner date."

"I love you." Teddy laughed. "That's a good idea. Little transparent maybe, but hey, somebody's gotta make the first move, right?"

"Exactly and I think this is the most casual way to do it. Cooking together can be quite an intimate affair. But of course that's mostly when you're already intimate and not on your first date."

"Of course. Wow. Thanks Maggie. I think that's exactly what I'm going to do. Do you think I should dress up?"

"No, I wouldn't do that. You got great style and if he likes you he probably likes the stuff he's seen you in so far, so just stay casual. You can dress up for your first official date. One he asks you out for."

"What would I do without you? I haven't dated in... wow 5 years. Okay maybe longer, the night I got pregnant didn't really count as a date. Shit, why am I suddenly so nervous, Daryl isn't even here, just thinking about having that dinner with him is making me jittery."

"Oh Jesus, Teddy, you really like him, huh? What did that guy do to you?"

"Yell at me, for the most part. Didn't know I was into that. Interesting. No, seriously though, he is a really great guy. It's like Billy said, all that gruffness is just a shell to protect himself. You didn't see him at that hospital..., he was so young, so lost and hurt and yet so goddamn loyal to his father. Sorry, please forget I said that. I don't have any right to talk about his personal stuff."

"Don't worry about it. I'm not gonna tell anyone, not even Billy and I sure as hell won't go up to Daryl and tell him what you just told me." Maggie reassured her.

"Thanks, Maggie. Really thank you for everything. I'll go take a bath and hop into bed."

"Okay. Call me after dinner with Daryl, alright? I wanna know how it went."

"Sure will, Maggie. See ya." The girls hung up and Teddy soon laid back in her tub and closed her eyes, letting her mind drift back to a couple of hours earlier. How cute Daryl had been with that flower and how flustered he had gotten her all of a sudden. Her belly got all fluttery just thinking about him and she really couldn't wait to see him again and hoped he wouldn't decline an invitation to dinner again.

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"What?" Maggie asked when she noticed Billy's thoughtful expression when she joined him on the couch.

"It's Teddy. That whole Daryl-thing? I just get the feeling that it's gonna cause so much fucking trouble. God, why? I thought it was over."

"If I remember correctly, I told you this was far from over." Maggie grinned. "You owe me 20 bucks."

"I know, that's why I'm frustrated." Billy sighed. "I really thought it was just a bit of an infatuation. After he helped her set up her stuff it got so quiet. I mean, how often has she actually talked to him or met him at all? Like 3 times?"

"Sometimes only seeing or talking to somebody once is all it takes. You might have thought she had let it go, but I saw something else. Every time you said his name she perked up, like someone had touched her with a cattle prod. Men just don't notice things like that. Aw, don't pout." Maggie went in for a kiss, but when saw his sour expression she pulled back a little and sighed. "What would be so bad if she would get it on with Daryl? You said it yourself, he's a nice guy at heart."

"He is and I meant that and trust me, if the circumstances were any different, I'd be fucking elated to have those two hook up."

"What do you mean?"

"Our parents. Do you really think they would welcome Daryl with open arms? Hell, my mother already said that he looked like a serial killer. To them, he is just another dumb redneck. They will give Teddy hell and Daryl will run for the hills and Teddy ends up crying her eyes out, hating our parents and so on and so on. She's been through enough, she barely got out of losing Milo, I don't want her to get hurt ever again."

"Milo died a long time ago, Billy. Long before the two of us even knew each other. She's gone through therapy, she is doing good and she's been alone for years, she deserves a man by her side. She is smart, Billy. I think she knows exactly what she is getting herself into and she'll know that there is a chance of her getting hurt. It's a part of life and you can't force her to stop living her life because you are scared that she might get her heart broken." Maggie smiled and kissed him sweetly. "Help her. Support her and be there for her, especially if it goes to hell. Remember how we started out. If Beth and Shawn hadn't been there to have our backs and talk some sense into Daddy, who knows if we'd be here right now. Teddy will need your help, don't deny her that. You two have an amazing bond, don't do anything to destroy it. Got it? You promised, Billy. You promised your support, so don't go back on that now. Got it?"

"I'm not crazy enough to say no. I've seen you handle a shotgun." Billy grinned and kissed her, letting his tongue roam in her mouth. He didn't want to keep thinking about Daryl and Teddy right now. If those two really got together and their parents caught wind of it all hell would break loose and he just wanted to enjoy the calm before the storm. Deep down he couldn't suppress the feeling though that things would turn to shit soon.

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**Thank you for reading! Hello new followers and favoriters. Thank you for your support! I love reading all your reviews, it lets me know what works and what doesn't, so don't ever stop leaving them please:)**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The odds just hadn't been in Teddy's favor in the following days. She had found a recipe for stuffed pork chops in that cookbook Daryl had given her and on Tuesday afternoon after work she had gone shopping and gotten all the ingredients. She had started on cutting the mushrooms so it looked like she had at least tried before she'd called Daryl for help. Just when she'd wanted to pick up the phone to call him, it rang. For a second she'd had high hopes that it was him, but nope, it was a very panicked John Mills, his wife had gone into labor three weeks earlier than "planned". She'd discussed a home birth with Teddy and wanted to stick to that plan, so Teddy had to get her things and leave and hadn't been back until midnight. On the weekend she'd promised her mother to help her out with some new project of hers on Wednesday night. Decoupage she kept calling it, so Teddy spent hours gluing old newspaper snippets onto an old table, while her mother kept ranting about all the gossip she had picked up at the country club in Marietta. Teddy listened with one ear only, she couldn't care less about the problems of the rich and the famous. She just kept thinking about Daryl and her plan to get him back into her apartment.

"Am I boring you, dear daughter of mine?" Bernadette finally asked when she noticed that Teddy was not an active listener while she told her stories.

"Mhm."

Bernadette arched her eyebrow, put her paintbrush down and crossed her arms over her chest. "How about we do this every night for the next three months? Wouldn't that be fun?"

"Mhm."

"Oh good, and maybe after we are done with this table, we could paint your father's testicles green and yellow for Easter."

"Mhm... Wait, what?"

"Ah, so you are still with me... at least to some extent." Teddy's mother leaned back and studied her daughter. "You seem preoccupied. Are you doing alright, sweetheart?"

"Yes, I'm good. Sorry. I'm just a little tired, it's been a long week and it's only Wednesday." Teddy smiled. Her mother could be so nice and caring if she wanted to be. She wondered why she was always putting on a show.

Bernadette didn't say anything, she watched Teddy continue with her work, her eyes going to Teddy's right wrist. "I thought about him today. Milo. I met Candice Burg with her little grandson today. Adorable little boy. He had black hair, just like him. He grabbed my finger... I forgot how wonderful it feels..."

"Stop." Teddy told her sternly, albeit with a soft voice.

"I can't believe it's been five years this year. It feels like it was just yesterday that he was born. I kept thinking all morning, what would he look like now?" Bernadette kept talking, two tears spilling out of her eyes.

"Mom, please. I delivered a baby yesterday, I can't do this right now." Teddy told her gently while she fought to keep her own tears from falling.

"Why do you do it when it is so hard on you, Teddy? I will never understand why you torture yourself like that."

"It's not torture, Mom. It's healing in a way. I couldn't do anything to help my own child, but I can help to keep other children healthy. I like what I do. There's just some days where it's more of a challenge than on others. I'm fine, trust me." She reached over and gently wiped her mother's tears away with her thumb. "Don't cry. You know I can't stand to see you sad, Mom."

Bernadette caught her daughter's hand in hers and kissed it before she released it again. "Alright, enough with this melancholic nonsense. We have a job to do. Come on, honey, pick up the speed. The faster we finish the earlier you can sleep."

"I love you, too." Teddy laughed with a shake of her head, grateful that her mother got back in Drill Sergeant Robertson mode. Teddy couldn't bear the sadness of her parents over the loss of their only grandchild. She could never help but feel that she was to blame for it, even though she knew that she really wasn't.

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On Thursday she was finally free. She wasn't on call and she hadn't promised anyone to help out with anything, so she went shopping for fresh ingredients after work and hoped to God that nobody would dare to interrupt her plan this time. So for the second time that week she stepped up to her cutting board and sliced up some of the mushrooms she'd gotten from the store. She shot an evil glare at her phone while she walked towards it, daring it to ring. She still looked at it suspiciously while she picked it up and unlocked the screen, but it remained silent. She pulled up her contacts and scrolled down until she reached Daryl's name. She lost her breath for a minute as a rush of nervousness went through her body and she took a moment to gather her bearings again, before she finally touched the screen again to dial his number.

"Calm down,... Jesus, why am I so nervous? It's just a call. Just a call,... shit,..." she told herself while it rang, but suddenly her mind went black and she couldn't remember for the life of her what she'd planned on saying to him. And of course he picked up his phone at that exact moment.

"Yeah?"

"Hey,... it's uhm... Teddy." Was that really her voice that sounded that squeaky? Damn.

"Hey." Daryl greeted her. His casual voice didn't betray the smile that had appeared on his face when the caller ID had told him who was calling. He'd saved the number the night she had called to let him know about his old man.

"Hi... I was just thinking about you..." she froze, her eyes wide. That was not what she had wanted to say at all. " I mean, I was cooking,... I am trying to make something from your book and I could use some help, I guess."

Daryl grinned at her little slip up and at how nervous she sounded. It was too fucking cute. It made him feel real good. Like he was more of a man, because of it. He couldn't really explain it, but it was there and it was good.

"Need me ta hunt something for ya?"

"No, I am trying the stuffed pork chops. I got everything from the store, but I'm kinda lost."

"Lost? How?" he smirked.

"Uhm,... in general, I guess. I don't know how to do... well, fucking anything I'm afraid." she banged her head against the doorframe in frustration. That whole talk had worked way better in her head.

"Trouble readin' the instructions?" he offered her a way to keep at least a little part of her dignity.

"YES. Exactly, that's it." She let out a relieved sigh. "Do you think you could come over and help? Are you free?"

"Be there in ten." He said and hung up again without another word. Teddy grinned happily and did a little victory dance. Thank God that was over, that had been so awkward. But like Maggie had said, it was also really exciting in a way. Teddy quickly checked her looks in the bathroom mirror and quickly grabbed the spray can of hairspray from the shelf and pressed it against her heated cheeks in an attempt to make the redness disappear. Daryl didn't need to see right away just HOW excited she really was. She leaned closer to the mirror while she cooled her cheeks and checked if her eyeliner and/or mascara had left any smudges during her workday.

"Aaahhhh, holy mother of pearl..." she yelped when she almost banged her forehead against the mirror, startled by the loud ringing of her doorbell. Had it been 10 minutes already? A terrible thought crossed her mind. What if it wasn't Daryl, but some other person that dared to ruin her evening? Only one way to find out. She took a deep breath and put the hairspray back onto the shelf. She tried to compose herself on the way to the front door, but she couldn't help the big smile that her lips were forming now.

"Hey, there you are. Thank you for coming. Come on in." Teddy greeted Daryl and the attempt to hide her blush had been completely in vain. She felt her cheeks heat up even more, when he surprised her with the oh so rare eye contact. Gosh, so blue, the color really stood out against the darkness of his bangs. Just beautiful. Daryl soon broke the eye contact and looked down, shaking Teddy out of her thoughts of admiration and she quickly stepped aside to let him in.

Daryl forgot to say anything in greeting. As soon as his eyes shifted towards the floor his gaze was caught by her legs. Her bare legs. She was wearing a pair of really high heels and some kind of black, dressy shorts that barely even reached to mid-thigh, leaving most of her legs exposed to his eyes. Goddamn. Did she really go to work like that? She had to give at least a few guys a heart attack when they came in to see her. He was sure she'd never get away with wearing that to work if her boss wouldn't be her own father. Shit, good thing she was a doctor, he might be distracted enough to cut off his fingers if she wasn't going to change. At least her top wasn't nearly as revealing, it was just a loose-fitting, gray sweater. It was a good thing that the heels she was wearing put them at almost the same height again, this way he wouldn't have to look down at her in the first place and it would be easier for him to keep his eyes focused on her top half.

"Can I offer you a drink? Water? Juice? Soda?" Teddy asked while she opened her fridge, making Daryl snap out of his trance. He hadn't even realized that he'd followed her into the kitchen. Had he closed the front door? Had she? Damn, he'd really have to watch it tonight.

"Got a coke?" he asked and spied the cutting board and the mushrooms on the counter.

"Yes. With ice?" she watched him walk over to inspect her work and saw him nod.

Daryl picked up the mushroom slices and held them up to his eyes. "What the hell did ya do ta these?"

"I cleaned them." Teddy replied as she filled up a glass with ice and coke.

"How?"

"I peeled of the first layer with the knife. Why? Is that wrong?" she stood next to him now and handed him his drink.

"Ain't wrong, just ain't necessary. Just rub 'em with a wet paper towel. You cut away half of these things." Daryl couldn't help but be amused. How could someone that smart be so fucking clueless about simple tasks like cleaning mushrooms?

"Oh." she smiled sheepishly. "See? I am absolutely hopeless. Good thing I called you."

"Yeah, it is. You're throwin' yer money in the trash if ya keep doin' it like that." He tore off a paper towel from the roll on the counter and went to the sink, turning on the water and letting some drip on the paper towel. "Here ya go. Just think of it as cleaning a wound, wipin' the blood off." he tried to explain while he handed her the paper towel and a mushroom. Then he turned around and leaned back against the counter with his arms crossed over his chest and watched her. The amused smirk never left his face.

"You're not gonna help? You're just gonna tell me what to do?" she looked over at him with a smile.

"I'm helpin ya by tellin' ya what ta do. Learning by doing." he winked with a cheeky grin and reached for his drink to take a sip of the cool beverage.

"Alright, you got a point. Am I doing it right?"

"Looks good." he nodded while he watched her hands work.

"Have you heard back from the hospital yet?" she asked him after a moment of silence.

"Yeah." Daryl's smile fell. "I ain't a match. Wrong blood type."

Teddy was beyond relieved. Now Daryl wouldn't feel obligated to go under the knife for his abusive dickhead of a father. "Maybe it's for the best, Daryl. You know he's not gonna change and there are just so many risks attached to live donor transplants."

"I called ma brother in jail. He don't even wanna get tested. Can't blame him, I guess."

"Let me guess,... his back looks like yours?" Teddy asked carefully.

"Yeah. Left home early, 'cause he would've killed our old man otherwise."

"And he didn't take you with him?" Teddy was horrified by the thought of his brother leaving Daryl behind to take all the brunt of the abuse.

"Nah. He sent money a couple of times, other than that I didn't see him much no more. He was in and outta jail a lot." Daryl shrugged. "Don't like talkin' bout that shit."

"Sorry, I'll stop asking." Teddy smiled apologetically and reached over and squeezed his biceps gently. "So, these suckers are clean. Now I can slice them, right?"

"Right and the parsley, too." He instructed her and while she was focused on the task at hand, he took the opportunity to look at her. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth when he saw her biting her lip in concentration. She was fucking cute. She had her long wavy locks up in a ponytail, revealing her long and graceful neck. Her skin looked so damn soft, he wondered what it felt like underneath his fingers and his tongue.

'Did she like a little biting? Cause she had a perfect spot on the back of her neck for him to sink his teeth into.' Daryl thought and let his gaze wander lower, against his better judgment. Oh yeah, there were another couple of good spots on her thighs for some love bites. He had a perfectly clear picture in his mind of how he'd give them to her. Her long legs would be resting on his shoulders and his head would be buried between them.

"Fuck!" he thought and reached down to adjust himself discreetly. Maybe he should ask her to put on a different pair of pants. No, how would that look? He would just have to get a damn grip on himself. There was something he'd wanted to ask her anyway, although he was a little hesitant to do so.

"Hey, uhm... ya didn't tell yer brother nothin' bout my Pa, right?"

"No, of course not. Doctor-patient-confidentiality."

"And ya didn't tell him bout you stayin with me at the hospital, neither?"

"No. Why? Did he say anything to you?" Teddy was worried that Billy might have said something stupid after her confession that she wanted to try dating the redneck.

"No, jus'... ya were on the phone with him the other day, right? And... dunno,... wasn't eavesdroppin' or shit, but he kept lookin' at me weird." Daryl watched her reaction closely and he knew instantly that he hadn't imagined things with Billy, when he saw a deep blush creeping into her cheeks.

"Oh really? Are you sure? Maybe he wasn't even doing it consciously..." Teddy dared to glance at him and wished she hadn't. He was giving her that look again, the same look he'd given her on Monday, when she had basically told him that she thought about him a lot.

"I wasn't sure. Now I am." he smirked.

"Okay look,..." she put the knife down and turned a little to face him more. "Your name might have come up in the conversation, but I promise you that I didn't tell him anything about your father or the night at the hospital." Teddy was fidgeting nervously with the ring on her middle finger, unknowingly giving Daryl some confidence by showing how jumpy she was once again.

"Then what did ya tell him? He damn near done choke on his food,... eyes poppin' outta his head and shit." he pressed her for more details, while he turned to fully face her, one hand on the counter, the other casually resting on his hip.

"That's kinda personal. Nothing personal about you, I swear, just about me."

"And ma name came up in that? How?"

"I really can't tell you. Not right now. I might tell you one day in the future, I don't know, but not right now." Teddy was beet red by now and was barely able to look at him. She almost wished he would go back to not looking at her directly, because right now she felt like he was able to look right through her and read her mind.

"Ya tell him I was here on Monday?" Daryl didn't give up that fast.

"Yes, I might have mentioned that."

"Might've? Ta me it sounded more like a 'definitely'." Daryl grinned when she started tapping her fingers nervously on the counter-top, but he also noticed that he was taking it too far now and that she was getting uncomfortable. He carefully touched her arm and gave her a real smile for the first time. "Just fuckin' with ya, relax. Ya done? Then we can get started on the meat."

Teddy just stared for a moment. Holy shit, he was smiling. God help her, he had a gorgeous smile, her knees felt wobbly. Damn, even his teeth were pretty. Suddenly she had to giggle at her thought and shook her head, finally able to turn her attention back to the cooking.

"Yes. Yes let's get to the meat. You're gonna stay for dinner right?"

"Sure. I'm feelin' adventurous today." he said and earned himself a little slap against his chest from her, at which he chuckled happily. Daryl proceeded with instructing her on how to cut a pocket into the pork chops and stuff it with the mushrooms, parsley and some cheese. He had her sticking toothpicks through the meat so it would stay closed and then she had to fry them in a pan for a short moment before they had to be put into the oven with some potatoes. Once that was done she went to the living room with him and plopped down on the couch next to him.

"Do you mind if I take my shoes off? My feet are killing me by now."

"Go ahead. Ya go ta work in those things every day?" he asked while he watched her take those sexy heels off and sigh blissfully in relief.

"Sometimes. Not every day. Sometimes a girl just needs to feel pretty and not so short, but I admit, they do get uncomfortable faster than flats." She smiled and wriggled her toes happily.

"Ya ain't that short." he argued with a frown. She seemed to be about average. Maybe a little below average.

"I know. I'm like 5'4", it's not super short, but somehow I always had people surrounding me that were taller than me and I hated looking up at them, so over the years I acquired quite the shoe collection. Never got to wear them when I worked at the hospital, so now I am taking full advantage of being able to wear them again. I am sure that it will get a little less as the weeks go by, though. Some can hurt like a bitch." Teddy explained while she pulled her legs up on the couch and sat cross legged facing him.

"Tell me something about yourself." she smiled at him.

"Nah, ain't much ta tell." he shrugged off her request, but Teddy wouldn't have it.

"I highly doubt that. Come on. You said you liked hunting. Anything else you do in your free time?"

"No. Just that. I like fumbling around with cars and bikes and stuff like that. I'm kinda good with ma hands I guess." he told her.

"Yeah, Billy always says that you're the best at your job. That you've taught him a lot." Teddy smiled at the surprised expression on Daryl's face. "Don't look so surprised. It's true. He always talked a lot about you when he talked about work."

Daryl was deeply humbled by that. He never thought that his colleagues paid all that much attention to him. Pride blossomed up deep inside of him at the fact that at least one of his colleagues appreciated his skills and also, that Teddy knew and believed, that he was good at something.

"He's good, too. Fast learner." Daryl didn't know what else to say to that. He was still kind of shocked.

"Yeah, he loves what he does." Teddy smiled. "Sooo,... uhm,... no girlfriend or wife I gotta be worried about storming into my office and bitch-slap me for having dinner with her man?" she held her breath and bit her lip, looking at him shyly while she waited for his reply.

"God no!" he scoffed with a laugh.

"God no?" Teddy laughed, not quite knowing what to make of that answer. "What does that mean? Not into women?"

"I am. Just made me laugh, 'cause I ain't never come close to marrying no one. Got nothin' ta worry about." Daryl shook his head, still chuckling. Him and married... He wouldn't mind getting married one day, he'd just never pictured himself doing it.

"How's your shoulder, by the way? Everything heal up okay?"

"Yeah, I guess. Haven't checked it out. Just left it alone."

"Can I see?"

"Errm... sure..." Daryl looked at her questioningly, not sure if he should take his shirt of or not, while she sat up on her knees. Before he could ask Teddy lifted the fabric of his black sleeveless shirt a little, where the sleeve used to be attached, and pushed it aside a little to reveal the thin scar on his shoulder. She gently traced her fingertips over the slightly raised skin before she raised her eyes to meet Daryl's gaze, who had turned his head towards her. Both their breaths hitched at their closeness, their faces were only inches apart. Daryl realized in that moment that he had fooled himself, that he could never ever be friends with her. He felt like an animal whose mating instinct had been switched on full force. Every fiber of his being was screaming at him to take her and make her his, just from having her this close. Nah, friendship would never work. He'd be too scared of attacking her every time she'd hug him or something like that. That's why he very quickly got up now and walked towards the kitchen.

"Let's check on the food."

"Oh, okay,... but it's still got 15 minutes left in there." Teddy was confused about his abrupt departure from the living room.

"Ya still gotta check. Maybe that's why ya are such a shitty cook..." Uh-oh, the snarl was back and Teddy sighed deeply. One step forward, two steps back. She didn't follow him, she wanted to wait and see if he would come back and also, maybe he needed some time to cool off. After five minutes she got sick of waiting and walked over to see what he was doing.

He was leaning against the counter, with his arms crossed, hands tucked underneath his armpits again, pronouncing his wide shoulders even more. He looked up at her and Teddy didn't know how to read his gaze.

"Ya kept the flower." he sounded surprised, even though his expression didn't betray that surprise.

"Of course I did. I love it. Why would I throw it out?"

"It's just a flower." he shrugged.

"No, it was a really sweet gesture." she slowly walked closer to him, but made sure to keep enough distance so he wouldn't snap again. "I'm sorry if I crowded you out there."

"Ya didn't. Wasn't you,... Sorry I snapped... 'gain." He truly looked embarrassed by having lost his cool again and Teddy smiled.

"I'm not gonna say it was okay this time. I realize that it's something that you do, but I think maybe we should work on a system."

"A system? What kinda system?" He asked with a frown, not really sure where she was going with this.

"How about every time you snap or yell at me, even though you don't really mean to, you have to eat one of my meals. That should be punishment enough, right?" she giggled when Daryl smiled again.

"That ain't punishment. That's nuthin' but pure evil."

"But you have to admit that it might work! I'm sure after the third or fourth time you will have learned your lesson."

"Ya might have a point, yeah." he had to agree. If he had to eat her mac and cheese three times in a row he was sure to think before he reacted in the future.

"Good and for that little stunt just now you have to come back tomorrow night and have to eat at least five bites of my meatloaf." she burst into a fit of giggles at his pained expression. "Oh yeah, you are so gonna stop snapping after that."

"You're cookin' might actually turn me into a decent man." he smirked and Teddy sobered up.

"You ARE a decent man, Daryl. If something's wrong, just try to tell me, okay? I know I have to earn your trust and that is totally fine, I just wanna know when I do something you're not comfortable with."

"Okay." He promised her and himself that he would try. He felt like he shouldn't ever come back here, but he knew he wouldn't be able to stay away. He started to feel like Teddy didn't want to be just friends either. Asking if he had a girlfriend was code for "I'm asking 'cause I'm interested", right? He'd asked if George Hanson was her boyfriend, because he'd hoped she'd say no. Nobody would ever ask that question if they weren't interested. Right? Maybe he should just kiss her? If she pushed him away and slap him he'd have a definite answer. Nah, he couldn't kiss her. He wasn't even close to touching her in this moment and still all he could think about was ripping off her clothes, bend her over that table and fuck her senseless. If he'd kiss her, there would be no stopping him. He'd ravage her like an animal. Why did she have to wear those damn shorts? It was driving him mad.

They ate a short while later and Daryl was perfectly content with listening to her tales of working and living in Seattle. She missed the weather, she often had headaches because it was still freezing cold in the morning and then suddenly hot in the afternoon. Her body had trouble adjusting. Of course the words "my body" and "adjusting" combined in one sentence, made him think of another situation in which her body would have to adjust. To a certain, very beloved part of his anatomy. Fuck, he was such a pig, he admonished himself, but he couldn't help it. She had done something to him. He'd thought about her that way before, but ever since she opened the damn door earlier she'd put some kind of spell on him and now he couldn't stop thinking about being with her in the most primal way.

That's why he left pretty soon after dinner, but he promised to be back the next night for his punishment meal. As soon as he was back home he turned on the shower and stripped off his clothes. He stepped under the hot spray and closed his eyes as the scalding water washed over him. He was instantly hit with all the images he'd been thinking about earlier: sucking on those delicious thighs, biting her neck and fucking her on the kitchen table. His dick stood at attention and was pulsing with need in record time. He poured some of his shower gel in his right hand and wrapped it around his cock. He hissed loudly when his slick hand slid over the sensitive head and he gave himself a nice squeeze when his fingers were firmly wrapped around his shaft. Then he started pumping his slick fist up and down hard and fast, the same intensity he would use to fuck her from behind on that table in her kitchen. His hips started moving, pushing himself into his right hand that tightened its grip on his rock hard member. His left hand slapped against the tiles of the shower while he slapped that fuckable ass of Teddy's in his fantasy. He grunted like a madmen with every stroke of his fist, his need was overwhelming, he didn't know what was wrong with him, he'd never felt like such a damn cave man before. He felt the familiar tingling in his balls and his hand picked up speed.

"Yeah, fuck, c'mon Doc,..." he groaned loudly and then bit his own wrist, while his fantasy self bit Teddy's neck when he came hard, shooting his juices against the tiles where they were immediately washed away by the spray of the shower head. Daryl was breathing heavily and felt utterly spent and relieved. He leaned his head back and let the cooling water refresh him a little bit. He had no energy left to wash himself or his hair, so he just turned off the water and grabbed a towel, drying himself haphazardly before he let himself fall into bed.

'I'm gonna go get me this woman. She asked about my status,... 's gotta mean somethin'.' It was Daryl's last thought before he drifted off into a deep sleep.

###### ####### ####### ####### #######

A little less than 24 hours later Daryl was seated at Teddy's kitchen table again, the same table that had been part of his little shower fantasy. He was in deep shit. Just looking at the damn table was almost enough to make his pants tighten.

"Oh my god, I had to lance the biggest cyst in the history of mankind today." Teddy laughed while she dropped a glob of mashed potatoes on Daryl's plate. "There was puss everywhere. It was like a volcano."

'Well, that solves the boner problem.' Daryl thought wryly.

"C'mon Doc, your cookin' ain't enough punishment? Now ya gotta tell that stuff, too?" Daryl made a face.

"That was payback for all the other times you were mean, now we're even. Dig in." She smiled while she placed the plate in front of him and took her seat right across from Daryl.

"You ain't eatin'?"

"Nope, just gonna enjoy watching you." she grinned.

"Wicked woman." he muttered good-naturedly. "What do I get if I eat it all?"

"My forgiveness."

"And?"

"My forgiveness isn't enough?" Teddy laughed. She loved Daryl's humorous side. He was dry and quick-witted, unlike herself and she liked it very very much. Who was she kidding, she liked everything about him very much. He was finally getting used to her presence, now he looked at her more often than not. Not always eye-to eye contact, but it has gotten a lot more than it used to be, like when he had helped her with her furniture.

"The deal was five bites. If I clean the whole fucking plate, ya could sweeten the pot a little."

"Oh yeah? How could I sweeten it?" She was intrigued, he already seemed to have something in mind.

"I kinda said yes to going to this party of a friend tomorrow. It's in the woods after dark. If I finish this whole thing and don't ralph into the trashcan after, you're coming with me." he tried to sound confident and not blush. He was inviting her on a date without letting it sound too much like he was inviting her on a date and he would eat everything on that goddamn plate even if it slowly killed him in the coming week, if she agreed to his idea.

Teddy had to keep herself from jumping up and down. She wasn't stupid and it was pretty transparent that he was asking her out this way. She found it very endearing and bit her lip to keep herself from screaming yes.

"This whole thing was supposed to be a punishment, not me doing you favors." She giggled. "But you know what? I wanna see if you can do it. You're on!"

"Alright." he smiled and grabbed the fork. One deep breath to brace himself, then he scooped some mashed potatoes on the fork and put it in his mouth. Surprisingly it wasn't that bad. That would be a cakewalk. He quickly shoveled all of the potatoes in his mouth, while Teddy watched with her chin resting in her hand, a little smile on her face. He hadn't won yet. It was mashed potatoes made out of instant powder, even she was able to add milk and salt without ruining it. The meatloaf was her own creation and she was sure his taste buds would hate it with everything they had.

Daryl was in good spirits. He took a big gulp of his coke when he was done with the mashed potatoes and stabbed his fork into one of the two slices of meatloaf. He put it in his mouth and just seconds later he shuddered.

"Good Lord... what the hell you put in there? Tastes like pure mustard with a side of cod-liver oil." Daryl had goosebumps breaking out all over his arms. He took it back, the mac and cheese hadn't been the worst thing ever. Her meatloaf was, hands down.

"The funny thing is, neither mustard nor anything fishy is in there." Teddy laughed. "Guess I'm also shitty with my spices, huh?"

"Don't care, I already kinda won." Daryl swallowed hard, that meat didn't wanna go down.

"No you didn't." Teddy laughed.

"Yeah I did. Ya said five bites! I ate more with all the potatoes."

"But the potatoes don't count. I said five bites of meatloaf and you had one so far. So right now you have neither earned forgiveness nor my company." Teddy couldn't stop giggling, he looked so cute all grumbly and kind of green in the face.

"Rotten woman."

"Yeah, you mentioned that. Now come on, honey. Just a little more. Only four bites." She coaxed grinning.

"Aw hell, you just wait. I'll eat the whole damn thing. Ain't got no time limit set." he smiled triumphantly when he realized he could pace himself and actually take hours to finish this meal.

"Oh come on, that would be too easy. 10 minutes!"

"Nah, forget it. Wasn't part of the deal. I have all night! No going back now!" Daryl stated decidedly while he prepared to take his second bite.

"But wouldn't it be easier to just quickly get it over with instead of dragging it out and knowing this torture won't stop for hours?"

"Hm... might have a point there. Can't get no ketchup, I s'ppose?"

"No."

"Barbecue sauce?"

"Daryl. Quit stalling and get it over with." she smiled.

"Fine!" he sighed and decided that she was right. He had to get it over with quickly or he'd never finish. "Watch this." he winked and put the fork aside and picked up the meatloaf with his fingers and quickly shoved the thing in his mouth and only chewed enough to be able to swallow without suffocating. Teddy gaped and laughed at the same time, seemed like he really wanted that date. Daryl picked up the second slice and gave it the same treatment as the first one. When it was all down he quickly downed his whole glass of coke, before slamming it on the table with a triumphant look.

"I'll pick ya up at eight."

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**I am blown away by your support everybody. Thank you so much for reading and following and favoriting. Your reviews make me type superfast as you can see. **

**Dear snowbird, since I can't thank you via PM, I'll do it here. Thank you so much for reviewing and I am planning on taking the story there in the future.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Daryl felt a little silly when he looked at his reflection in the mirror that hung on the door of his closet. Silly and nervous to be more precise. For the first time ever he had actually made an effort to look presentable. All for Teddy. He thought he looked stupid, the sight was just not something he was used to, but he hoped that Teddy would appreciate that he'd chosen to wear his nicest clothes and that she would also like the way he looked. He was freshly showered and his hair was clean, dry and soft instead of being drenched in sweat from a hard day's work. That didn't mean it looked any less wild, though and he also hadn't shaved. He was willing to make an effort in looking halfway decent, but he wouldn't change everything about himself and bend over backwards so she would like him. He narrowed his eyes at the top button of his shirt, pondering whether he should button up all the way. That's what these fancy lawyers did, right? He slipped the button through the hole and looked at himself again with a miserable expression while he tugged at the collar, feeling like he was gonna suffocate. Fuck it, he was a mechanic, not a lawyer, he thought and unbuttoned not just the one, but the two buttons from the top for good measure.

"Better." he mumbled to himself and looked at the alarm clock at his night stand. It was time for him to leave and pick up Teddy. He released a nervous breath and grabbed his nice leather jacket from the closet before he slammed the door shut. He draped the jacket over his arm for later, it was a snug fit and it restricted his movement too much while he was driving. He went down to his truck and checked the truck bed once more, making sure everything they might need was there. He might be a bit presumptuous with his preparations, but they'd be in the woods,... better prepared and safe than sorry.

####### ####### ###### ###### ###### #######

Teddy's jaw fell to the floor when she opened the door to greet Daryl. She did a double-take, making sure that it was really him.

"Daryl..." she breathed while she gaped at him.

"Ya hate it..." he sighed as he looked down at himself, but looked back up when he noticed Teddy shaking her head vigorously.

"No, no, no. Jesus, no. Daryl, you look fucking amazing. So handsome. I mean you always look handsome, you do, but damn, you clean up nice!" Her gaze swept repeatedly up and down. His boots were the same he always wore, but he wore pants she'd never seen him wear. Dark blue denim, that fit his narrow hips and lean legs just perfectly. They looked new, he either just bought them or he very rarely wore them. He wore a plaid shirt, that was tucked into his pants and a black leather belt. The shirt still had its long sleeves and damn, if that didn't pronounce his broad shoulders even more. The fabric was straining over his well-developed muscles, the seams seemed ready to burst. Maybe that's why he always cut the sleeves out of those shirts, because the material was barely able to contain his shoulders and upper arms.

'Kind of a sexy problem to have. Sorry, I'm too muscular for shirts my size. That was hot.' Teddy thought with a grin and watched the endearing blush spread on Daryl's cheeks when she called him handsome.

"You did this for me?" She asked with a smile before she bit her lip and lightly tugged at his shirt.

"Ya always look good." he admitted shyly. "If I force ya ta come with me, least I can do is look a little less like a hobo."

"You never look like a hobo, Daryl. A wild animal? Maybe. But I like that and I think you always look good, too."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, now let's go. I'm thirsty." Teddy grinned. Man, that shy peeking up shit he did always made her heart soar. He was so damn adorable and fucking hot at the same time. She was really looking forward to that party and being able to show off her hot date.

"How are you feeling? Stomach doing okay today?" she giggled, remembering how hard it had been for him not to gag and throw up after finishing the two slices of meatloaf.

"Feel good now, but I ain't gonna lie... Was a little queasy this mornin'." he admitted with a smirk.

"I'm sorry."

"Why? You put somethin' in there ta make me queasy on purpose."

"No, I didn't. I swear. Just the queasy part wasn't supposed to happen. Eating that stuff was punishment enough. Didn't mean to prolong the torture." she giggled a little, but it turned into a frown when they came up to his truck and she saw the truck bed, which had literally been turned into a bed. "You always drive around with a mattress in the back?"

Daryl had the decency to blush, knowing what that must look like to her. "It's just in case."

Teddy was amused, but she didn't show it. Instead she let her eyebrows shoot up in question. She wanted to hear how he explained his way out of that one.

"We're headed to a party. There's gon' be booze. I don't drive drunk." he nervously tried to find the right words. "If ya don't wanna, I won't drink a drop, but if yer in, we can both drink and sleep in the back."

"The whole night? In the woods? Out in the open?"

"Yeah. Ain't gonna freeze tonight, I checked. And there's sleeping bags, too. Done it a thousand times, it's okay. It's safe." he hoped she would say yes, but he still felt like he'd fucked up by not asking first before he came over here looking like he'd assumed she'd say yes anyway. "But if ya don't wanna, just tell me and I won't drink. I'll take ya home whenever ya want."

"Sleeping under the stars, so to speak? That's awesome. Good idea. That way we can both have a little fun." Teddy smiled and the cutest little smile graced Daryl's lip at her enthusiastic reply.

"Good. Then let's go." he smiled and opened the passenger side door for her and closed it once she was seated, making Teddy giggle, while he walked around the car to the driver's side. Daryl had already been more of a gentleman than stupid George Hanson.

Daryl drove them out into the woods parked the truck in what he called 'his regular spot'. When they got out he led them back to the dirt road and from there on they followed some signs made out of cardboard that had been pinned to some trees, directing them towards the location of the party. The dark way was dimly lit by a bunch of LED lanterns and Teddy was glad that she had gone with her instinct not to wear anything with heels. She was wearing black leather biker boots over her skinny jeans, a cream knitted sweater and a black leather jacket to protect her from the cold night air. Daryl had donned his leather jacket now, too and Teddy had a hard time not to stare at him the whole time with her mouth open. He really was a sight to see. His demeanor had changed as well. It was like a switch had been flipped, as soon as they had entered the woods she had felt the subtle change. He exuded a lot more confidence and seemed more at ease than usual. Teddy didn't know that much about Daryl yet, she didn't know that Daryl felt at home here. This was his territory, this is where he felt like a man and in control in every aspect. He had the dream of living here one day. In a real house, that he would build with his own two hands. Fully functioning with electricity and running hot water and everything. He just needed to figure out a way to make more money in order to save up for it.

They followed the signs and Teddy walked a step behind Daryl and looked around when the ground under them got a little uneven. Teddy felt like a dork when she stumbled a little and almost fell face first in the mud. She quickly grabbed on to Daryl's narrow waist to keep herself from falling and laughed. "Shit. You better play seeing-eye dog for me or I'll take a mud bath before we even get to the party."

Daryl chuckled and took one of her hands in his and grasped it firmly. "Gotta watch yer step, Doc. You alright? Didn't hurt yerself, did ya?

"No, I'm fine. Just being a big klutz." she smiled. Daryl squeezed her hand gently and started walking again.

"Better stick close ta me, then."

"Oh trust me, I will." she grinned happily and leaned against his arm a little bit while they walked. Daryl looked down at her with a smirk. He loved looking at her and admiring her shapely legs and ass when she wore heels, but he decided he liked it even more when she wore flats and was smaller than him. It stirred up a fierce sense of protectiveness inside of him, which made him feel strong and masculine and he liked that a lot. He wanted to be the guy who protected her from all the bad things on this fucking planet and from the way she leaned into him it looked like she would let him do it.

"There it is." she smiled, her eyes wide in amazement. It was beautiful. It was a big clearing and the trees surrounding it were decorated with little LED lights. In the middle was a fire surrounded by a couple of big logs of wood that served as benches for people to sit on. "Quite the crowd. Should we go look for your friend?"

"Nah, sure he makes the rounds. He'll say hello sooner or later. Let's just get a drink." he said and tugged her along towards the table filled with a copious amount of bottles and plastic cups, that was set up at a safe distance from the fire. Daryl could use a little alcohol to take the edge off, a beer would be enough. He just felt a little nervous about holding Teddy's hand in public. There was no way he would let go, though. He had the urge to make sure that people knew that they were here together. He was proud to be seen with her, he just hoped she'd feel the same way about him. What he didn't know was, that he had absolutely nothing to worry about. Teddy was beaming, she was so happy to be there with him and she tightly held onto his hand as they made their way through the crowd, greeting some familiar faces on their way.

There were a lot of people from out of town, but there were also a lot of people amongst the attendees that lived in Jasper and the arrival of Teddy and Daryl together had immediately caught their attention and the couple drew quite an amount of stunned looks to themselves. The women of Jasper spread the news like a wildfire and Teddy and Daryl had barely taken the first sips of their drinks when there were already hushed whispers of 'hot new couple alert' amongst the little groups that were standing around the clearing. It was the best gossip the townspeople had in forever. The surly redneck and the pretty new town doctor holding hands, that sure was a breaking news headline, if things like that would get printed in the local paper.

Daryl wasn't stupid and he was way too observant not to notice the attention that was directed at him and Teddy. He swallowed his first beer down maybe a little too quickly because of it, making Teddy giggle in surprise. "Trying to forget you're here with me or something?"

"Nah, wouldn't have eaten that poison ya cooked up if I didn't wanna be here with ya. Jus'... people are lookin'. Kinda weird." he admitted with a shrug. Teddy looked in the direction of the fire and noticed a dozen heads immediately turning away from them, because they felt they had been caught staring by Teddy.

"You know how people are, they are curious about new couples showing up. They'll get over it." Teddy smiled while Daryl looked at her in surprise.

"Couple? That what we are?"

"No, it's just what they think when two people hold hands." she explained and noticed how his shoulders slumped a little and he looked away from her so he wouldn't see the disappointment on his face. Teddy had to keep herself from giggling. She wouldn't make this too easy for him. "I mean, I'm just doing you a favor here,... that's what you wanted,... not like this is a date or something,... right?"

Daryl looked down at his feet while he shifted his weight. "What if it was?" he asked quietly and looked at her shyly. "I mean... would ya even want it ta be?"

"What do you think?" she smiled, but didn't offer more at that moment. Daryl pressed his lips together and shrugged before he started chewing on the inside of his cheek, revealing his growing nervousness.

Some people were headed over to the table, so Teddy tugged on his hand and pulled him away from it, over to a tree where they would be out of earshot from other party-goers.

"Do you want this to be a date, Daryl?"

Another shrug. "I guess. Maybe."

"Maybe?" she asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Fuck. Yes, okay? Yeah, I wanted this ta be a goddamn date, alright? Just go ahead and laugh the fuck in my face and get it over with." he shouted at her in exasperation and let go of her hand. Teddy remained unfazed.

"That's gonna cost you another round of my cooking, buddy." she said while she crossed her arms over her chest. "You wanted to know what I told my brother. That day on the phone when you thought he kept looking at you weird?"

"What's that got ta do with anythin'?" Daryl narrowed his eyes at her and waited for an explanation.

"Everything." Teddy smiled. "You were right, he did look at you weird. He almost choked on his food because he was looking right at you while I told him that I liked you and wanted to date you."

"Ya can't be serious." Daryl's eyes grew big. "That's what ya told him? Why'd you even tell him?"

"He's my brother and well, he works with you. I didn't want it to be weird. Just wanted to give him a heads up and get his opinion." Teddy told him, while Daryl thought back to what he had heard on his side of the conversation. Billy had mentioned their parents' names and asked her if she was still sure it was a good idea. That stung a little, but Daryl thought he'd probably been right about asking. Fuck, their parents would throw a shit fit. That wouldn't be any fun at all, but Billy had promised his sister that he'd be there for her no matter what. Having his support might be a good thing.

"Your brother said something... Said that he hadn't heard ya say something like that in a long time. What did ya say?" Daryl asked her about the part that had made him very curious about what had been said, especially if it had involved him.

Teddy smiled and Daryl knew he was about to hear something good, when she blushed a little and bit her lip while she gathered the courage to spit it out. "I said that I get real happy whenever I see you."

Daryl felt like he was floating for a second and he actually looked down to make sure he wasn't. He smiled, really smiled when he looked back up at her. "Yer crazy."

"A little, yeah." she laughed. "Kinda crazy about you, too. I like you Daryl. And I would love to spend more time with you and get to know you better. Soooo, the question is... You in?"

"Fuck yeah!" he grinned, feeling like a ton of bricks had been lifted off his shoulders.

"Good, then I guess we might be on our way to become a couple." she smiled and walked closer to him, taking his hand back in hers. "So let those people look and talk. They'll get over it and it will be old news soon and nobody will look twice at us holding hands anymore."

"Hope so. Makes me kinda nervous." he admitted. "Don't like being judged."

"Nobody does. Just forget about them and let's enjoy our evening. Should we get you another drink to help along?" she smiled gently at him.

"Yeah, we better do." he said and walked back to the table with her, opting for some Jack Daniels instead of a beer this time.

After his second Jack, Daryl was able to relax better. They kept to themselves in the background and talked and watched other people and Teddy pointedly stared back at everybody who kept looking at them too long and after a while the looks became less and less. Teddy looked around a little and noticed a smaller log behind one of the trees that had been decorated with lights. It was a sturdy tree, and it was a little darker back there, people wouldn't be able to really see them unless they walked around the tree and stood in front of them. Maybe Daryl would feel more comfortable there, she thought. They weren't socializing with others anyway, just drinking by themselves, so nobody would miss them.

"Come on." she smiled and dragged him behind her. She walked over to the tree and behind it and sighed when she saw that the log was smaller than she had thought. There was only room for one person to sit on it, that was probably why they had put it there instead of in front of the fire with the others.

Daryl didn't see any problem with it though. He was glad to be out of view from the other guests, so he had no trouble doing what he did next. He sat down on the log and pulled Teddy to sit sideways on his lap.

'Well, that worked out better than I thought it would, after all.' Teddy thought with an impish grin, which turned into a laugh when she noticed Daryl release a deep sigh.

"Feel better, honey?"

"Yeah." he laughed quietly. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it." Teddy smiled and put her empty cup on the ground so she'd have her hands free. She put her arm around Daryl's shoulders and gently threaded her fingers through the long thick hair at the back of his head, lightly massaging his scalp. She loved the feel of his hair, it was so unbelievably soft and she loved the way the ends curled just a little bit, helping in giving him his wild look. Daryl closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the tree and enjoyed what she was doing to him. The lights that were slung around the tree were dim, it was almost like candlelight, but it was enough for Teddy to be able to study his features again. When she brought her other hand to his face and let her fingertips trace the sharp line of his cheekbone, Daryl opened his eyes. The atmosphere changed as they looked into each others eyes and Teddy's breath quickened and she felt like she got pulled in by a magnet. She couldn't help but let it happen and moved her head closer to his.

Daryl's eyes widened and his breath hitched when he realized what was about to happen.

"Don't!" he pulled his head back as much as he could without banging it against the tree. Teddy's eyes snapped back up to look into his, confusion clearly etched into her features.

"Why?"

"Ya won't like what happens." he rasped and Teddy narrowed her eyes at him.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know if I can stop... if I can control myself..." he stuttered. His desire for her turned him into a cave man and he was scared of hurting her. He had no idea how to tell her that, though.

"I trust you. I don't think you'd hurt me. I'm a big girl, Daryl. I can make you stop if I have to, but I don't think that will be necessary. Just let go, please? I really wanna kiss you." Daryl searched her face for any signs of hesitancy, but he found none. She really wanted this. She looked at him questioningly, asking for his permission and when he nodded, she leaned in again. Their lips met softly at first. A tentative pressing of lips that was repeated several times. Teddy soon applied more pressure, growing more secure when she felt Daryl kiss her back.

'Fucking hell.' Daryl thought when he felt the that primal feeling inside of him rise up again. He slipped one hand around her waist and pulled her closer, the other buried itself into her long tresses at the back of her head, mirroring her hand in his hair. He angled his head and deepened the kiss. His tongue traced along her bottom lip, teasing it gently before he sucked it between his lips and nipped it with his teeth. Teddy moaned and he was a goner. That primal feeling rushed through him, his blood was practically singing with it, enhanced by the alcohol in his system. The hand in her hair tightened to a fist and he pulled her head to the side so her mouth would be able to accommodate the onslaught of his better. He didn't ask for permission, when she gasped he used it to push his tongue into her mouth. When it touched hers, Teddy moaned again and tightened the grip on his hair, spurring Daryl on even more. His tongue swirled around hers wildly and he only pulled back to suck and nibble on her lips and give them a chance for a breather before he dove back in.

Teddy's head was spinning. Never in her entire life had she been kissed like that before. He was ravaging her mouth without abandon, just like he'd always imagined himself doing. He wouldn't be able to hold back even if he wanted to and thank God there was no need for it now that he had her permission. She would stop him if he went too far. Teddy wouldn't stop him anytime soon, though, he was driving her wild. Holy fuck, the man was growling. Actual, deep, animal-like growls were formed in his throat and she felt them vibrating underneath her fingertips when she put her hand on his neck. It was the best fucking aphrodisiac ever. Daryl's hands were holding her firmly in place while he took from her what he wanted and needed, all the while giving her something she had missed her entire life without even knowing it: Himself. She was hooked, there was no way she'd ever let him go now, consequences be damned.

Teddy pulled back and looked at him, her mind racing while her breath came out in erratic gasps. She wanted him desperately, but it was only their first date. She didn't want to fuck it up, but hell, life is damn short. This thing between them would either work out or it just wouldn't be meant to be. Only the future would tell, but they were here now and she knew what she wanted.

"Truck." she gasped and Daryl immediately understood. He pushed her off his lap, took her hand and then took off with her, leading her through the labyrinth of trees. Teddy was impressed by how easily he navigated them through the almost completely dark forest. The only light they had was the glow of the lanterns a few feet away and the glow from the moon. Daryl made sure that they stayed hidden and stayed away from the path that led to the party and the further away from the party they got, the tighter his grip on her hand got. Teddy yelped when he suddenly stopped and she ran smack into him. Daryl didn't miss a beat. He turned around, cradled her face in his hands and kissed her passionately. His tongue curled around hers in a way that made Teddy's knees wobble. As quickly as he had pressed his lips against hers, he pulled away, his hand grabbed her left arm and with a sharp tug he turned her to face one of the trees surrounding them. He walked closer until his front bumped into her back, but he still kept going, making her walk until she was pressed up against the tree. He wasn't able to wait any longer. There were more hidden here than in the truck anyway. He gathered her dark locks in his hand and pushed them over her left shoulder, baring her neck to his hungry gaze. There it was again, that spot he'd been wanting to bite for days now. Daryl pressed himself against her backside, letting her feel the bulge in his pants while he bent his head down and sank his teeth into the back of her neck with a growl, hard enough to mark her, but not hard enough to cause real pain or damage.

Teddy jerked and moaned at the unexpected pleasure. She rested her forehead against the rough bark of the tree to give him better access. She'd never been into this rough stuff before but he was definitely changing her mind about it now. The bite stung, but at the same time it made the muscles deep inside her belly clench almost painfully and she felt the familiar tingling of arousal in her womb and her lady parts moisten. Her arched her back, pushing her butt back against his crotch instinctively. She could feel him harden, the bulge getting bigger and when one of his hands snaked around her and sought out the button of her jeans, her heart started beating so hard and fast, that she was able to feel her heartbeat in her throat. Daryl yanked her pants open and pulled his mouth away from her neck. He wanted to see her expression when he touched her for the first time, even if it was just the side of her face. His hand slipped inside her jeans and into her panties. He almost grinned happily, when his fingers were met by a small patch of coarse hair. He preferred a little hair over completely shaved, it made him feel like he was fucking a grown, real woman. He knew it didn't really make sense, but that's just how he felt. He nuzzled her ear while he tugged the hair gently, smirking when he felt and heard her breath hitch, then he watched her closely when he slid his fingers further down, tracing her slit until he his fingertips met her wet opening.

Teddy's mouth fell open and her head fell back against his shoulder. She pulled her breath in sharply with a yelp when he pushed his middle finger up inside of her and she held on to the tree for dear life while he finger-fucked her roughly, the heel of his hand pressing against her clit in the process. "Oh shit, Daryl... " she didn't know what was happening, her head just kept spinning and spinning. He didn't even want to kiss her 15 minutes ago and now he was doing this, he was gonna fuck her against a tree in the middle of the woods. She understood what he had meant by saying he didn't know if he would be able to control himself. He really was completely out of control, but it was a good thing. He wasn't hurting her, he wasn't doing anything she didn't want. All he was doing, was making her feel oh so damn good. She mewled when Daryl added a second finger in order to prepare her for his cock, his fingertips were rubbing her hot spot so good, whether by accident or on purpose, she didn't care, she was scratching her palms bloody by gripping the tree so hard.

"Yer so fucking sexy, Doc. Gonna have ya now." his raspy voice sounded right next to her ear and she could only moan in response. He withdrew his fingers and yanked down her pants and underwear before he opened his belt and fly to free his painful erection. "Spread yer legs as far as ya can."

Teddy complied and spread them as far as she could with her pants still on, while one hot hand was placed on the still warm skin of her hip, helping her position herself. Daryl's other hand slid up her back underneath her jacket and sweater to grip her shoulder and to push her torso forward so he'd have a better angle. Before Teddy was able to adjust to the new position, she felt Daryl's cock pushing into her. It hurt a little, because those parts of her anatomy hadn't seen any action in years, but once again she was surprised that she enjoyed feeling the slight stinging sensation. She felt every inch of him stretching her, her walls contracted and she faintly heard him curse behind her while the grip of his hands tightened for a second. She was so damn tight, he was close to losing it then and there. He bit his lip painfully hard to get himself in check a little and he slowly pulled out again until only the head remained inside of her before pushing in again, repeating the slow movements a couple of times until he felt himself slide into her more easily and Teddy started pushing back against him, silently begging him to give her more. Daryl grabbed her hips with both hands now and started moving inside of her in a steady rhythm, a low grunt leaving his body with every thrust. He was losing his mind, she felt so damn good with her tight walls clenching around him, it was so much better than the fantasy. He picked up speed, her moans and the sound of flesh slapping against flesh spurring him on, the urge to coat her walls in his semen was burning him from the inside out. His eyes screwed shut tightly when he felt his climax nearing way too soon, but he wasn't able to hold out, he was too far gone, he'd lost himself completely in her. He pulled her hips harder against his groin, almost lifting her feet off the ground in the process, making Teddy lose her balance and scratch her cheek against the rough bark of the tree. But in that moment Teddy didn't care, she was under his spell. He could do to her whatever he wanted and she would revel in it. He started pounding her hard, his face a scrunched up mask of intense pleasure and all Teddy was able to do was hold on to that goddamn tree and bite her lip to keep from screaming. Suddenly his hand closed around her throat and he yanked her up, his teeth sinking back into her neck when he came, grunting loudly against the skin that was caught between his teeth. Teddy felt his dick spasm inside of her while he filled her with his seed and the feeling made a smile come to her lips, while she gasped for breath. His hand on her throat wasn't cutting off her air supply, he was just holding her, his thumb was rubbing over the skin of her throat softly and somehow the dominance he was showing touched something inside of her. Again he was giving her something she had missed without knowing it. She wasn't able to describe it, but she felt protected, taken care of and weirdly relaxed for lack of a better word while he held her like that. She was a little sad when he released his hold on her and withdrew from her body completely. She heard the rustling of clothes and the jingling of his belt buckle and she quickly steadied herself and pulled up her panties and jeans to get dressed as well. She felt her underwear being drenched by his cum leaking out of her and she made a mental note not to have sex with him again until she had the opportunity to freshen up. She turned around to face him and saw his eyes widen in horror.

"Holy shit. Why didn't ya stop me?" he asked angrily while he turned her head to the side, trying to take a closer look at the scratches on her cheek in the dim light. "Ya said ya would stop me,... fucking hell. I knew this shit would happen. That's why I didn't wanna kiss ya in the first place."

"Hey, stop that, okay? I'm fine. If I would have wanted to stop, I would have told you. " Teddy shot back. She was still full of confusing emotions and she wasn't as good at handling his mood swing as she usually was. "That's two nights worth of my cooking already, wanna make it a hat-trick? Please, just calm down for a minute, alright. You didn't do anything wrong." Teddy knew he was angry at himself, but she didn't want him to blame himself and beat himself up over a couple of scratches.

"Yeah I did,... " he mumbled regretfully. He'd done everything wrong. He had lost control, he had taken advantage of her, he had hurt her and yelled at her and he hadn't even made her cum. He'd just taken what he'd needed and had left her wanting and scratched up. He was a Dixon after all. One of the biggest fuck-ups in history of mankind. He would never be able to forgive himself, especially not in the morning when the booze was completely gone from his system.

"Come on." he nodded his head in the direction of his truck. "Gotta get ya to ma truck, clean those scratches." He turned around and started walking, he was too ashamed to take her hand.

Teddy sighed deeply in frustration. 'Here we go again. One step forward, two steps back.' she thought, a little saddened by his behavior, but she couldn't blame him. She knew what kind of man Daryl was and she knew what she would get herself into by getting involved with him. He just needed to learn that he was good and learn to trust her when she told him that he was a good man. From the looks of it, it would be quite the learning curve, but she was more than willing to help him out. She wanted him in her life more than anything. She wouldn't give up that easily.

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**AN: Thank you so much for your support everybody. I am blown away, seriously. **

**So, rough sex in the woods, Daryl unleashed his inner animal and their rocky road ahead begins:) I just wanna say that this is not going to turn into a hardcore BDSM story in case you wondered after this chapter. They might explore some elements of it in the future though, like I said at the beginning, I wanna try some new things with those two.**

**My son just keeps on teething, so I didn't get any sleep and I didn't even have the wherewithal to send my wonderful reviewers thank you-PM's, so today we are doing it old school.**

** DarylDixon'sLover: Thank you very much. I hope you enjoyed this.**

** jeanf: We will learn more about Milo soon. I'm happy you enjoyed the last chapter. Some light fluff before we get down and dirty. Thank you so much for those wonderful reviews of yours.**

** Slytherin-Princess10: Daryl's a smart cookie, isn't he? He hasn't learned his lesson, yet, though. More wonderful meals for him. haha.**

** vexingvixen7: Thank you so much. I am starting to like AU's more too, because the apocalypse stories at this point turn out to be pretty much the same over and over again. I'm not dissing here, a lot are wonderfully written, but there's just so much left you can change and re-invent after four seasons.**

** S-H213: Thank you so much. Hope you enjoyed this one as well.**

** snowbird: Thank you so very much. I always try to be descriptive so the reader can see what I'm seeing in my head, so to speak. I am happy that you are having fun with this, I am having fun writing this.**

** AnneStucky: Thank you so much. We might look at some darker times ahead, though. Can't always be all fun and games.**

** MaddyMarie1212: Hope you enjoyed this. Thanks so much for reading.**

** mamareadstomuch2: Isn't he precious, lol? Glad I was able to appease the lady junk, hope this one helped with that, too. xoxox**

** Bashsister23: The funny thing is, I didn't even realize that it was funny. Just when pretty much everybody said that they were laughing I realized that it was a cute, fun scene. Thanks so much for your feedback and for reading in the first place.**

** UndeadMama: Here you go, hope you enjoyed. I love your Icon, btw. So cute.**

** kaayrakoi: Daryl is just awesome. I love writing that side of him. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing.**

**See y'all next time. Hopefully via PM again.**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Buckle your seatbelts, the road's a bit bumpy in this one;-) Enjoy.**

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Chapter 8

"Hold that to yer face so I can look at 'em scratches." Daryl pressed the camping lantern he'd brought into her hands.

"I'm fine, I barely feel it. I'll put some Neosporin on it in the morning, nothing else we can do anyway." She felt fine. It stung a little, but it wasn't bad. When Daryl shot her a look she quickly held the lantern up next to her cheek and let him examine the scrapes.

"I think I got some antibacterial wipes in the first aid kit." He murmured and jumped off the truck bed to get it from where it was stashed underneath the seat. A minute later he climbed back up and sat in front of her on the mattress. Teddy sat with her legs crossed indian-style and Daryl spread his legs wide and scooted closer to her until her knees touched the backs of his, enclosing her between his long limbs. The thought that she might want to clean those scratches herself, so he wouldn't touch her, crossed his mind, but he ignored it. He needed to be the one to do it, he needed to make it better after causing them in the first place. He tore open one of the little packets and pulled out the wipe, hesitantly holding it up an inch from her face and searched her face for a sign that she really didn't want this. Teddy's lips were stretched by a gentle smile, though and she gave him a little nod, silently telling him to go ahead.

"Might sting..."

"I know." she smiled and held still while he carefully wiped her cheek.

"I'm sorry." he mumbled when he was done, looking down at his lap.

"Stop!" Teddy put her hand on his jaw and tilted his head up so he would look at her. "I enjoyed myself. A lot." she blushed and giggled lightly. "I'll admit that I am surprised by just how much I enjoyed it and by that I don't mean being with you, I mean how rough it was. Okay, I guess what I am trying to say here is, that I really really liked what we just did, no regrets and I just wanna eat you up and wrap myself around you and never let you go. And damn, that sounds stalkery... I don't know what to say. I just really like you. I want this, okay? Or... did you change your mind? Do you regret it?" Teddy was suddenly a puddle of insecurity, scared that he'll back out. She was relieved when she saw him shake his head no.

"Only thing I regret is doin' that to ya." he said with his finger pointing at her scratched up cheek.

"You didn't do it on purpose, wasn't even really you, Daryl. I just lost my balance. I had a shitty boyfriend once, I know the difference between an accident and hurting somebody on purpose and this was clearly an accident. It happened in the heat of the moment. You have to trust me that I will stop you as soon as you do something I am uncomfortable with. I don't want you to beat yourself up over this." Teddy's big green eyes looked into his imploringly and Daryl took a deep breath and nodded.

"Okay. Ya really have ta. Alright? Stop me if it gets too much, I mean."

"I will. Promise."

"Yer brother is gon' kill me."

"No he won't. He'll understand. They've had sex accidents, too. He almost took Maggie's eye out with a vibrator once." Teddy laughed.

"Aw hell. You serious? How the fuck he do that?" Finally a little smile parted Daryl's lip and he visibly relaxed and his fingers slowly slid on her legs, tracing patterns on the inside of her knees.

"I can't tell you that, it's pretty intimate. I don't think Billy knows that I know. Maggie confided in me while she was a little tipsy. But see? These things just happen, we laugh it off and move on."

"So ya still want this then? The whole datin' me thing? 'Cause I guess this first one didn't go over too well."

"What are you talking about? It was great. It IS still great. Forget about these damn scratches right now or you'll be in for three meals this week." She laughed when he groaned loudly.

"No thanks, two is enough already. Really gotta start watchin' that shit." Daryl shuddered at the thought of having to go through two more meals of hers. He had to admit, it really was a good punishment. "So, what will ya bless me with this time?"

"Not sure yet. Pancakes maybe. Potato salad. There are just so many options."

"Ya can ruin pancakes?" Daryl still wasn't able to wrap his mind around it that she indeed was a terrible, terrible, terrible cook.

"Are you seriously still surprised?" Teddy asked with a laugh.

"I jus don't get it. Yer a damn doctor for fuck's sakes. Yer smart, how can ya not get cookin'?"

"Don't know. It's just not happening." Teddy shrugged and uncrossed her legs and put them over his so she could scoot closer to him until she was able to hug him and their chests were pressed against each other. "I'm not even sure I wanna cook for you. You punished yourself more than enough just now."

"Maybe just the pancakes instead of two meals?" he smiled with a hopeful expression while he wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

"You're so cute, you know that?" she giggled at his enthusiasm of not having to eat too much of her home-cooked food.

"Ya should check yer own eyes or have yer daddy check 'em for ya." Daryl scoffed, but his cheeks still grew heated at her little compliment.

"My eyes are perfectly fine, Daryl. You wanna do this with me, you're gonna have to learn to live with me telling you how hot you are."

"Stop." he smirked and squeezed his arms around her harder in warning. He tensed a little when she pressed her lips against his again, still spooked from what happened not even twenty minutes ago, but he relaxed after a moment when he didn't feel that feral urge to take her flare up. The animal inside of him was relaxed, sated and purring contentedly for now. Teddy smiled against his lips when she felt his disposition change from anxious to laid-back, she had been a little nervous about maybe having to convince him to kiss her every single time while this was still new, because he might be scared of losing control too easily again. Man, did she hope he would lose control again soon. The guy was as much of a wild animal as he was shy on other occasions. Such a weird, but incredibly attractive contradiction.

Her hands found their way into his soft hair again and Teddy let her fingers play with the dark strands, all the while their tongues found their way back to each other and licked at each other lazily. Daryl's hands rubbed along Teddy's thighs all the way up to the crease where her thighs met her core. He didn't touch her center, he just gently let his thumbs stroke back and forth along those creases while they made out. Teddy later pulled away when things got more heated and she heard Daryl growl again. She had no idea if it had been minutes or hours of kissing him and playing with his hair, but from the way their lips were swollen and his hair was in complete disarray, it might have been a while. It wasn't that she didn't want to sleep with him again right then and there, but she was still very aware of their mixed fluids coating her panties and her skin and she didn't feel comfortable with letting him back there before she had a shower. So before things went too far, she plopped on her back and looked up at the stars.

"This is really beautiful." she smiled when she looked up at the sky, while she laid on her back with her legs still wrapped around Daryl's waist. He nodded with a smile and just kept caressing her. He was really happy to have her here in his happy place, far away from civilization and all the bullshit that came with it. Maybe she'd be cool with coming here with him more often. She had a stressful job and this was as peaceful as it got, it might do her some good every once in a while.

"Do you know anything about stars?" She asked him after a moment of silence.

"Nah, just like lookin' at 'em sometimes when I'm out here over night."

"You spend a lot of time here, don't you?"

"Yeah." he looked down at her just when she lifted her arms to rest them behind her head. Her sweater hiked up and bared a strip of that deliciously velvety skin of hers. Daryl's right hand immediately moved higher to traced his index finger along that bit of skin. He felt his animal instinct slowly rousing from its slumber and it was making him nervous. He withdrew his hand quickly and placed it on her knee, letting his other hand do the same.

"So you do this a lot? Throw a mattress in the back and come here?"

"Sometimes, but mostly I come here for huntin'. Been huntin' all ma life. Pretty much started the day I got outta diapers. I like it. Clears ma head. And meat ain't exactly cheap no more, ya know? Good way ta save money. Also a good way ta make money." he inconspicuously took deep breaths and focused on answering her question to get his mind out of the gutter.

"What do you mean? How do you make money out of it? Do you sell the pelts or the meat?"

"I sell the whole animal. Sometimes somebody comes up ta me and asks me to hunt something for them. Pays good."

"I can imagine. Can't you make that your dayjob? If it pays well and you love being out here so much?"

"I wish I could fucking do that, but there ain't that much demand for it."

"Too bad. But you still like working at the shop, right?"

"Yeah, I do. Just the pay is kinda shitty."

"I know, Billy has a hard time making ends meet sometimes when something unexpected comes up."

"Sure yer parents help out with that." Daryl said in a bit of a deprecating tone, making Teddy frown.

"No, actually they don't. Even if they wanted to, he wouldn't accept it. Hey, just because our parents are rich doesn't mean that we are spoiled little rich kids. You have to give us some more credit than that."

"Sorry... just assumed." Daryl apologized, but he suddenly couldn't ignore the fact that Teddy made more money than him. Probably a lot more. He didn't know how he felt about that, guess he had to wait and see how things would go and worry about shit like that when it came up.

"You assumed wrong. Okay, not entirely wrong. They paid for our education, well, more like for my education, but as soon as I started making money I paid for myself and so did Billy."

"Why are the two of ya so different? You're twins, aren't you supposed ta do the same shit? Be equally smart?" Daryl asked with a frown while he wondered how that twin-stuff worked.

"It's not like that. We are two individual beings Daryl. We each have our own interests and experiences. Sometimes they match, but often they don't. Billy is smart, he just opted out of going to college. He wanted to work with his hands, make money, be independent. I've always wanted to work in medicine, so I took the necessary steps to do so. Needless to say who my parents supported more. That's something Billy resents me deeply for. Me and our parents." Teddy sighed sadly.

"Sounds like the man made his choice. Can't blame you for that. Ain't right."

"I know. And deep down he knows that as well, but he can't help how he feels. Sometimes it comes up and he gets angry about it." Teddy told him and Daryl just nodded. He kind of understood where Billy was coming from. Daryl himself wasn't exactly a poster child for rational thinking when his anger got the better of him. He untangled Teddy's legs from his waist and laid on his back next to her after grabbing a sleeping bag, unzipping it and draping it over their legs.

"Ya gonna tell me why he's southern and you're a New Yorker now? Ya said it was a long story and we ain't got nothin' but time now."

"Alright." Teddy smiled. "Originally we're all from San Diego. We were born into money so to speak. My father inherited a shitload of money from his grandparents when he was younger and he handled it well. He's always had his own practice, people liked him, so the money kept rolling in. My mother made the social rounds, organized charity events and shit like that. She liked to dress us up and show us off, her precious little twins. Well, she doesn't really get any credit for us, we had a nanny that raised us while she organized all kinds of fundraisers. It was like some bad shit you see on TV everyday. The perfect family. Yeah well, Billy and I hated it with a passion. More and more with each year we got older. Our parents loved us, we knew that, but they were never there, never really present. So they didn't really had a grip on us, you know? So we spiraled out of control. Billy and I were always together. Every minute of every day from the minute we were born. We got up to all kinds of stuff together. Never really anything good. We rebelled. We broke shit. We misbehaved in public, said rude things. We were spoiled little rich kids and we were desperately crying for attention. We never got it. By the time we were 13 we ran with a pretty bad crowd. We were drunk every other day after school. We took ecstasy every weekend or smoked pot or both. We painted the town red. Literally. We vandalized some buildings. It just kept getting worse and worse. Billy and I were each others instigator and enabler. There was no stopping us. Until we got arrested." Teddy told her tale and Daryl stared at her with wide eyes. He had NOT seen this coming.

"We were so damn lucky. The officer that arrested us was a poker buddy of my dads. He didn't write a report, he just delivered us to our parents in handcuffs and had a very serious talk with Mom and Dad. He kind of shook them awake, told them they had to do something or they'd be planning our funeral soon with the speed that we were going down that bad road at. So they did something. They decided to move, to take us out of that environment completely. They also decided that Billy and I had to be separated for our own good. So they sent me to boarding school in New York and they took Billy and moved here, thinking that small town life would be best for him. So that's why we have different accents and why we have different lives, I guess." Teddy concluded and looked at Daryl, laughing a little at his stunned expression. "Yeah, didn't expect that, did you?"

"Never. Fuck, Doc. I thought ya were this pretty little, docile doe. Ya were a fuckin' wild child."

"I was, but really not in a positive sense. You know, Billy and I suffered, like really really suffered for a long time because we were separated and we both hated our parents for that for long years, but in the end I think they really made the right call. They had to do it, they wouldn't have stood a chance against the two of us. History just would have repeated itself. It wasn't like it is now. Now the two of us barely stand a chance against them and that's the way it's supposed to be I guess. I would never admit that in front of them, though." she smiled.

"Makes sense." Daryl agreed. "There's one thing I don't get. Why did they send ya to freaking boarding school and yer brother got ta stay with yer parents and went to normal school here?"

"Because I was the bigger problem. Out of the two of us Billy is the docile doe, if you wanna put it that way. I was the one that needed more discipline and structure, so I was the one who had to go. It wasn't that bad. I got back on track, got good grades, got accepted to a good college and the rest is history."

"You ain't takin' drugs no more, are ya? 'Cause I'd have a big problem with that." Daryl looked at her seriously. He liked her, but he wouldn't have another addict in his life.

"No of course not, Daryl. I've never done any hard drugs and I haven't taken any since I was 13. And I also barely drink any alcohol anymore. Only a glass of wine for dinner or a beer at a party like today. Nothing to worry about, I'm clean as a whistle, honey."

"Good." Daryl said and took her hand to lift it up to his lips and press a soft kiss against her knuckles. "I'll make sure it stays that way."

"You do that." she giggled and snuggled deeper under the sleeping bag. She was getting sleepy and cold. "What was your youth like? Apart from the obvious?"

"Don't know what ta tell ya. Guess I did what every kid around here did. Hung out with them, smoked, got dumb-ass tattoos, tried to stay away from home and away from trouble. Spent a lot of time in the woods even then. All of us had shotguns before we had our first wet dream, went out and did target practice or went squirrel hunting. Was okay I guess, as long as I didn't have ta go back home. Was just me and Pa by then." he told her while he kept his eyes on the sky. When she still remained quiet after a couple of minutes he turned his head to his left to look at her and saw that her eyes were closed. Daryl carefully pulled the sleeping bag higher, up to her chin and pressed another kiss to the hand he was still holding. "Good night, Doc... Teddy." He added her name quietly. It felt weirdly intimate to him to call her by her name, that's why he avoided it. It was stupid, he'd fucked her against a tree like there would be no tomorrow and yet he had a hard time calling her by her name? He really was all kinds of fucked up in the head, he thought while he turned his head back to look to the sky and the stars.

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Teddy woke up when the sunlight hit her face. She turned away from it with a groan and was startled when she connected with something warm and solid.

"Better get up." She heard Daryl's raspy voice and slowly opened her eyes to see him smirk. "Gotta get rid of the panda that sneaked in here last night."

Teddy blinked confused and yawned. "What the hell are you talking about? A panda? How would a panda even find its way to the woods of Jasper?"

"You tell me." He grinned and wiped underneath her eye with his thumb before he held it up for her to see. There was a black smudge staining his skin now and Teddy laughed and shoved him against his chest.

"Very funny. Sorry I didn't carry eye make-up remover wipes in my pockets." She stretched out her limps thoroughly before she grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him down for a little kiss.

"Don't worry about it." he smiled when they broke apart again. "Looks kinda cute. Ain't that bad anyway."

"Yeah, shouldn't be. It's waterproof. Except for the eyeliner." she kissed him again and smiled.

"Wanna come to my place for breakfast?"

"Punishment Pancakes?" he groaned like he was in pain.

"Oh my God, that sounds like it could be a thing." Teddy burst out laughing. "Punishment Pancakes. I love it. That's what we're gonna do from now on when you get mean. But I thought we could just have a regular breakfast. Got everything at home and you can make the eggs if you want to. Mine always turn out wrong. No surprise there I guess." she said while she sat up and wiped underneath her eyes with her fingers to get rid of the smudges as best as possible for now.

"Sounds good." Daryl nodded and followed suit. "Panda's gone." he grinned when she was done removing the eyeliner stains.

"You're lucky that you're so goddamn cute." Teddy shook her head with a giggle and kissed him. Their lips parted and their tongues met for a second before Teddy broke the contact and laughed. "I'm starving and in dire need of a shower. We better go. Come on."

"Fine." he pouted, sad that they would leave the woods now, but his stomach was growling just like hers and the promise of a good breakfast made his mouth water. So Daryl jumped off the truck bed and helped Teddy down so they could drive back into town.

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"Okay, bacon is grilling in the oven, you're taking care of the eggs, I'll make coffee when the food is ready. Do you mind if I take a quick shower? I'll just be like five minutes." Teddy had wrapped her arms around his waist, her chin resting against his cheek while she smiled up at him.

"Five minutes? Ain't ever known a woman to be done in five minutes. Splashin' water in yer face ain't countin' as a shower, Doc." he smirked, his arms hanging loosely by his side, not returning her hug. He didn't trust himself, the need to have her again was bubbling up inside of him and he was still a little scared by how rough he'd been with her in the woods.

"Ha ha,... okay I'll have to get undressed and redressed so let's say ten minutes. Okay?"

"Yeah, go ahead."

Teddy cradled his face and kissed him softly, sighing deeply with happiness. She released him and stepped away from him and then startled him by rushing back and stealing another kiss quickly. "One more for the way." she giggled, making Daryl smile and shake his head when she finally did leave the kitchen and he made them some scrambled eggs.

When Teddy came back in almost exactly ten minutes later, Daryl nearly dropped the spatula. She was trying to kill him. She was wearing shorts again. Short shorts, more like black velvet hot pants and a white tank top and clearly no bra underneath. Her nipples were outlined perfectly by the thin material. His jaw tensed and he heard and felt his blood rush in his ears as the animal in him woke up with a loud roar, lust and desire spiking immediately when memories of last night hit him. He wanted her and he needed her, right the fuck now. He'd been on edge ever since he'd had her tongue in his mouth briefly before they came back to town.

"Mmmm, smells good in here." Teddy smiled and padded up to her coffee maker on bare feet, letting her hand rub over his back when she passed him. Daryl's movements were calm and very controlled when he put the spatula down on the counter next to the stove, moved the pan with the scrambled eggs to the sink and turned off the stove and the oven. Teddy was oblivious to what he was doing, she was busy choosing what kind of coffee she wanted for breakfast.

"Hm, Dark Rost, Hazelnut, French Vanilla, Latte Macchiato,... I think I'll have Hazelnut. What do you want?" she asked, not aware that he was already right behind her.

"No coffee, that's for fucking sure." he said, his voice dark and gravelly. He put his hands on her waist and turned her around to face him and before she knew what was happening one of his hands had grabbed her hair and tugged on it to tilt her face up to meet his. His lips slammed down on hers, his tongue invading and conquering the depths of her mouth to tangle with hers. Teddy clutched his biceps desperately, hating that they were for once fully covered by fabric. She wanted to feel his skin against hers, so her fingers quickly traveled to the buttons of his shirts, nimbly opening them and tugging his shirt out of his pants so she could unbutton it all the way and slide it off his arms. Her palms flattened over his chest and she groaned in frustration when she felt yet another layer of clothing separating her hands form his naked chest. The sound and her urgency in ripping his wife-beater off made Daryl chuckle against her lips and he released her for a second to help her undress his upper half. He took the opportunity to rid her of her top as well and his eyes darkened with lust when he gazed at her bare breasts. Teddy almost fell back against the counter, the only thing saving her from smashing her back against the edge was slinging her arms around his neck when he grabbed the backs of her thighs and lifted her, smashing her center hard against his groin.

He carried her over to the kitchen table that thankfully hadn't been set yet. The only thing on it was the small vase with the purple wildflower he'd given her. The fact that she still had it, even though it had started to wilt sent another rush through him and he kissed her passionately while he set her down on the wooden table top. His head ducked down, his hands pushing up her breasts to meet his mouth. Teddy moaned when she felt his tongue lap at her right nipple, but that moan quickly turned into a little scream, when his teeth dug into the sensitive peak and she tugged on his hair hard in response. Daryl growled and hooked his fingers into the waistband of her hot pants, yanking them off her hips, including her underwear, with a couple of hard pulls.

"Daryl..." she wanted to tell him to slow down a little, but he pressed his lips against hers again, his hands grabbing frantically at her legs, hoisting them up around his waist.

"Fucking want ya, girl." he rasped against her lips while he unbuckled his belt. He wanted to take his time with her and suck and bite on all the spots he'd fantasized about, but he couldn't help himself, he couldn't wait to be inside of her again. It was a burning urge and he felt that he'd just die if he wouldn't act on it. Just one more time like this, he told himself while he pulled his cock free of its confines.

Teddy was sheer overwhelmed by his intensity and just clung to him, holding on for dear life while he sucked on her nipples and squeezed her legs hard after freeing his erection. She reached down, wrapping her hand around his throbbing member, relishing in the deep groan she tore from Daryl in the process. His hand clamped down on her wrist a moment later and he looked at her fiercely. "Don't!" He took both her hands and lifted them up to his shoulders while his mouth went to her neck, sucking and nibbling on the soft skin there. Teddy shivered and looked down between them. Wetness pooled between her legs when she saw his cock. He looked like he was ready to burst. Leaking pre-cum, the tip was purple already and looked like it hurt. It made her understand his urgency, he needed release badly. Slowing down was not an option for him, so she didn't stop him when he aligned himself with her opening and slowly pushed himself between her soft folds.

Teddy hissed and winced when she felt him spreading her again. She hadn't realized how sore she was from their first encounter and she could have used some more foreplay now to get ready for him. Her nails dug into his shoulder, making Daryl groan against her neck.

"Fuck... need ya so fucking bad. Am I hurtin' you?" he groaned while he kept pushing himself deeper with little persistent thrusts.

"It's okay... just try to go slow at first." Teddy gasped while she felt heat spreading from her belly throughout her body. The little pinpricks and the stretching burn he was causing with his penetration excited her deep down and she felt the sharp pull of arousal making her core tingle. It felt great, but it also confused her to no end. He let her feel his raw desire, his purely masculine strength and male dominance. She used to hate that with her ex, but Daryl did it so naturally and in a non-threatening way, that it turned her on, much to her own surprise. She felt herself get wetter, making him penetrate her easier and she soon felt his slow movements get more strained.

"It's okay... it feels good, just let go." she moaned encouragingly. Daryl stopped for a moment and wrapped his arms around Teddy, holding her as close as possible.

"Look at me." he commanded her and rested his forehead against hers. Teddy forced her eyes open and looked into his beautiful blue orbs, a gasp escaping when he thrust himself into her balls deep with one long stroke, while his eyes gazed deeply into hers. He built a steady rhythm, going as deep as possible with every thrust, keeping his eyes on hers, connecting them, all the while being able to detect any discomfort immediately.

But there no longer was any discomfort, only pleasure. He felt so damn good moving inside of her, setting all her nerve endings on fire, she eventually wasn't able to keep her eyes open any longer. She just let the pleasure wash over her and enjoyed how good he made her feel. She loved how close he held her to his body and she helped along by wrapping her legs around him as hard as possible while her nails were raking over his shoulders and biceps.

"You close?" she heard his voice a second after she had felt is pace quicken. She wasn't close, not even close to close. It didn't work for her that way, never had. She knew she wasn't the easiest person to give an orgasm to. It even took her a while when she masturbated, so in the past she very rarely had had an orgasm with her partners, they hadn't been interested in putting the work in. Still she enjoyed sex very much, the closeness, the intimacy and the sensations. She didn't know what to answer, this was a discussion for another day and right now she didn't want to bruise his ego, but she didn't want to lie to him either.

"Don't worry about me, honey. Just let go." she told him in a breathless whisper. Only moments later she felt his steady rhythm falter. His eyes squeezed shut and his hold on her tightened as a staccato of grunts were pressed out between clenched teeth in sync with his release. He loosened his arms around her and slumped forward, resting his forehead against her shoulder. Teddy smiled and gently stroked his back and his arms and pressed her cheek against the side of his head.

"That was nice." she smiled softly, but Daryl didn't respond. Too bad that she wasn't able to look inside his head. She might have been able to understand his following actions better if she would be able to read minds.

As soon as Daryl's breathing had returned to normal he had withdrawn himself from her body and had gotten dressed. He just didn't know what the hell was wrong with him. He had done it again, lost control and taken her just like in the woods. At least he hadn't scratched her up this time. But that wasn't even the worst of it. While he'd been inside of her and had looked into her eyes he'd been hit with all kinds of emotions. They were new, completely foreign and so damn intense that it was overwhelming and he didn't know how to figure them out or how to handle them. His whole world was in a big jumble all of a sudden. All he wanted to do was run and hide and figure this shit out. And so he did. He ran.

"Gotta go." he told a stunned Teddy, who was still perched on the kitchen table, buck naked. She crossed her arms over her chest and closed her legs quickly, feeling extremely vulnerable when his gruff words registered in her brain. He was leaving? Now? What the hell... before she was able to even make sense of what was happening, he was gone, the door to her apartment startling her when it slammed shut with a loud bang. She stared at the empty space in front of her wide eyed, incredibly confused and she couldn't help but feel used and worthless. She fought hard against them, but eventually a sob wracked her body and tears spilled out of her eyes. Instead of having breakfast with the man that made her so happy she could scream just by standing next to him and looking at him, she sat naked on her kitchen table and cried.

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Daryl knew he had made the biggest mistake of his life by leaving. Once again he had acted before thinking things through. For god's sakes he had fucked her like a horny dog again and then he'd just left her sitting there instead of trying to talk to her. Why hadn't he just thrown some money at her to make her humiliation complete? He'd treated her worse than Merle had treated his whores. He'd been overwhelmed and scared out of his mind. He still was. He'd never been good with feelings and he had been glad that he never really had to deal with them. There hadn't been happiness in his life until now, only hurt, disappointment, sadness and anger and he knew how to deal with those. He just didn't know how to deal with all this new stuff. When he'd had sex with Teddy just now and they had connected, his heart had done funny things. It had swelled and constricted and skipped a beat and then it had beat harder than it ever had in his entire life. It wasn't just lust he felt for her. He had real feelings for Teddy and at the same time when he had realized that little fact, he had been struck by intense fear of her not reciprocating and by fear of losing her and all of that had happened so damn fast in such a goddamn rush of emotions, that he just didn't know how to get a grip on it all. And now he had fucked it all up with no one else to blame but himself. He was the stupidest, most childish and most emotionally stunted man in the world. He just kept sabotaging himself and now he had lost the best thing that had ever happened to him. The only thing that had ever made him feel happiness. He would deserve every bit of hate he was sure to have coming his way. She would tell her brother for sure. He was ready for it though. If he got a wrench to the head it would be very much deserved. Maybe he should just move into the woods or just get out of Jasper altogether. People already hated him, if the news of him screwing over Teddy would spread, they would wanna lynch him.

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Teddy had walked around her apartment like a zombie all Sunday long. Daryl hadn't called and she just had no idea what had gone wrong. What had she done to make him pull away like that all of a sudden? She knew she wasn't a very good lay, but still... he could have said more than 'gotta go' before he fled from her apartment. The worst part was, that she didn't have anybody to call and talk to. Annabelle hated Daryl, Maggie would tell Billy and she didn't want Billy to know. He would get involved and give Daryl a talking to. She definitely didn't want that to happen. She would fight her own fights.

She barely slept and she was glad when morning rolled around and she could go to work. That would distract her and take her mind off of the things that happened. Or so she thought. Of course the news had spread. She and Daryl were the hot new couple in Jasper. The odd and hot new couple. She got a ton of questions and compliments of how cute they were together and all Teddy wanted to do was scream. She also had to explain a thousand times how she got the scratches on her face. Her father and the patients had asked about them and she had said that she had been to the party in the woods and had tripped in the dark. Thankfully nobody had doubted it. The whole people asking her about Daryl wouldn't be the worst part of her day. That part came up right around lunch time. Teddy wanted to slip out to eat at the burger joint, but just when she reached the door she heard her father's stern voice.

"Theodora! A word!"

Teddy sighed deeply and followed her father into his office. "Good Lord, here we go." Teddy moaned when she saw her mother sitting in one of the two chairs in front of her father's desk. Yes, news had spread fast and of course it hadn't passed by her parents.

"Sit." her mother ordered her curtly and Teddy sank down on the second chair with her purse in her lap.

"Daryl Dixon? Seriously Theodora? All these perfectly fine and eligible bachelors in Jasper, but no our wonderful daughter ventures over to the next trailer park and finds herself the biggest piece of white trash she can find." her mother looked at her with an arched eyebrow and an expression of utmost arrogance while she spewed out the hateful words.

Teddy cringed hard. Daryl might have hurt her, but he still didn't deserve what her mother was saying about him. "Don't talk about him like that. You know nothing about him." Teddy told her sullenly. "He doesn't even live in a trailer park."

"Oh excuse me. Having an apartment of course makes him an upstanding member of society. Let's just forget his alcoholic father and his criminal drug-addict of a brother, the man has got an apartment, that makes everything so much better." Bernadette huffed.

"Stop. He is a perfectly fine member of society. He can't choose who is brother and father are, but he choose who he wants to be and he doesn't want to be like them. He is nice and kind."

"You can't really believe that, Teddy. You have to be smarter than that." Gerald looked at his daughter imploringly. "Just look at him."

"Just look at him? Seriously? What is this? Little house in the prairie? Just because he's got wild hair and a couple of holes in his clothes and doesn't talk much he's the fucking town pariah?"

"Language, Theodora. I see that man has got an excellent influence on you already."

"I am 29 mother and not 9 years old. Which is also kind of a big point here. I am a grown woman. I choose who I date and it is absolutely none of your business. Daryl is a good man. He got injured trying to break up a fight and preventing Billy's place from getting trashed. He helped me setting up my furniture, when you guys didn't want to get your hands dirty, and he did it selflessly, not expecting anything in return. He even offered to take down the fucking trash with him. Did you know that even though his father abused him and treated him like trash all his life, he still desperately wanted to save the guys life? Even after will beat him up at the hospital the night he got admitted? The man is too damn loyal for his own good. He's got morals and honor, maybe even more than you. Don't judge a book by his cover. Just because he is a little rough around the edges it doesn't mean that he is a fucking serial killer, as you so nicely put it, mother."

"While all of this might be true, Theodora, the man still has a reputation and it is not good. We have a reputation, too. A very good one and we have to uphold that. We worked very hard to get to where we are now and you are actively trying to ruin it. Again. We had to uproot our whole life because of you once before, we are not about to start over again. You can't be seen with that man anymore." her father told her in his no nonsense voice.

"Fuck you. Both of you. Just go fuck yourselves." Teddy scoffed and rose up from her chair. She had heard enough. She never should have come to Jasper in the first place. Distance makes the heart grow fonder and that sure had been the truth for her and her parents. She knew she was acting like a child, but it couldn't be helped. If her parents treated her like one, she could damn well act like one. She slammed the office door behind her, just faintly hearing her parents' protests and just went to the park instead of getting something to eat. She didn't want to be around people in that moment. She could have made it easier on herself and could have just told her parents that Daryl didn't want to be with her anyway, but that would mean that she would be giving up on him. She wouldn't do that until she had absolute clarity that he had changed his mind. She felt like throwing up when she remembered that she had to go back to the office and work until five pm, but she'd just have to swallow her problems down and ignore her father and maybe when she went back home she should get her drink on.

She was insanely happy when the last patient left the office and she was able to leave. Her father left at the same time, but he didn't say a word to her. Fine by her. She got in her car and got herself some canned soup for dinner and headed home. She just wanted the soup, a hot bath and some wine and sappy songs... and Daryl. She desperately wanted Daryl. When she neared her apartment it looked like she would get her wish. There he sat, leaning against her apartment door again and Teddy's stomach did flip-flops inside of her. She was happy to see him, but she was sad, too, because she had a feeling that this might be the last time she'd see him in her apartment.

Daryl got up when he spotted her and his heart broke when he saw how pale, tired and sad she looked. He knew he was responsible and he wanted to kick himself for doing this to her.

"Hey." he offered quietly, forcing himself to look at her.

"Hey." she said softly, mirroring him and leaning against the wall with her shoulder.

"Can we talk?" he asked in between chewing his bottom lip raw.

"Yeah, we should." she nodded and unlocked the door. She wanted to throw herself into his arms and cry it out, but kept herself from doing so with all she had. They had to resolve this shit and maybe he didn't even want her to get close. "Come on in." she put on a brave smile and led the way into her apartment, hoping desperately for a good outcome for the conversation they were about to have.

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**AN2: Thank you so much for supporting this story. You are all so wonderful.**

**I told you there was a bumpy road ahead, right? Daryl is overwhelmed and needs to figure things out and more importantly he needs to learn to handle what is happening to him. Sure Teddy will help him with that once he can explain it to her.**

**Guest and Snowbird, thank you so much for your feedback. Hope you enjoyed this one as well.**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"I'm sorry." Daryl felt like it was all he ever said to her. It was yelling or doing something stupid and then apologizing and today, for the first time since he started interacting with her, he was able to see very clearly, that she was getting fed up with it.

"I figured as much. Want some wine or something else?" her voice was dull and it didn't help Daryl much in keeping his hopes up that they might be able to work this out.

"Nah, didn't come here to drink." he declined her offer.

"Sorry, but I'm gonna have some. This day could not have gone worse." Teddy poured herself a glass of red wine, just when the microwave signaled that it was done heating up her bowl of soup. She got it out, holding the hot bowl between her red potholders and set it on the table next to her glass of wine. She got some bread out and then finally sat down opposite Daryl. "Why did you leave? I've been trying to make sense of it, but all I can come up with is that it must have been the worst sex you've ever had."

"That ain't it. It wasn't. You know I ain't good at talking. I don't know how to explain it. But I'm real sorry for what I did. I didn't mean ta hurt ya. I knew it was wrong the minute I left."

"Then why didn't you come back and tried to explain?"

"Dunno. It was all a big-ass clusterfuck in here." he pointed to his head. Teddy sighed and took a big sip from her wine glass.

"I like you Daryl. I really, really do, but I'm just a human being like everybody else. I wish I had the patience of a saint, but I don't. There is only so much of this back and forth that I can take. I know trusting me doesn't come easy to you and I am guessing talking about feelings and relationship-stuff and everything is extremely uncomfortable for you, but we are just reaching a point here where you have to make an effort. I get where you are coming from most of the time and I try my best to accommodate you and stay calm and patient, but we can't keep doing this. You can't keep doing this to the both of us. This up and down, happy one minute and then all of a sudden you do a 180 and go off on me and then you apologize and the whole cycle starts over... it just won't work, if we keep that up. Yesterday wrecked me. That was just devastating, Daryl. I felt like a goddamn prostitute and I have no idea what happened with you. So do you think you could at least try to explain?"

"I wanna try, but it might come out wrong." Daryl was nervous, because he really didn't know where they stood in that moment and it made him jittery about opening up, because he might be pouring his heart out in vain. "I... " he started and then stopped again. Teddy saw that he was trying to find the right words and just left him alone while she ate some of her soup. She was almost done before his voice caught her attention again. "Fuck, Doc... I just don't know..."

"Then I think we might be done here, Daryl." she told him, trying to keep her voice steady even though she was dying a little bit inside.

"I don't want that. I wanna stay with ya." he said with determination, but Teddy just shook her head.

"I would love that, Daryl. Don't think this isn't hard for me, but it's like I said. We can't keep going like this. And it just won't work if you can't talk to me about things. I know it's hard, but if you can't bring yourself to do it... if you don't want this enough to be able to get the words out, then it's already doomed anyway." Teddy leaned back with her wine glass in hand and watched him struggle. She could practically see him struggling internally. She knew that he wanted to tell her, but it was like the words got caught in his throat.

"I got overwhelmed." he tried again. "Stuff happened when I fucked ya. Like, inside ma head... 'nd ma chest." he mumbled and felt utterly stupid saying it, but he knew it was necessary or this whole thing with Teddy was over.

Teddy's eyes widened. Sure, it wasn't the elaborate speech one would hope for in this situation, one that explains every single little thing that had happened, but his admission offered enough information for her to glean what might have happened from context.

"Something good or something bad?" she asked him, trying to get more out of him.

"Good. It was good. It happened... like, in a rush?" he looked at her carefully, trying to see if she got what he was trying to explain. Teddy nodded, telling him to keep going. "I ain't ever had that happenin' before. It was so fucking much that crashed down on me in a second... Freaked me out. Didn't know how ta handle it."

"But now you do?" Teddy tried hard not to sound too doubtful.

"It fucking surprised me yesterday, my head was too full, I ain't been able ta think straight. Now it's better 'gain."

"It's better? But not back to normal? You're still confused?"

"Yeah, guess so." he shrugged and looked at her worriedly. He could tell it wasn't going well. Teddy squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed her temples hard with her fingers, trying to make sense of it all.

"Daryl, I think you need to take some time to think about what you want."

"I know what I want. I want this. Ta be with you."

"But if you know for sure that that's what you want, what are you so confused about? What made you run off like that? I don't understand."

"I was running on instinct. I didn't know how ta act, what ta do, so I ran. Like I said, I didn't know what to make of all this stuff inside of me. Things are so damn different with ya. More intense. Way more intense. I can barely control myself around ya, in case ya hadn't noticed. Ya just do stuff ta me, that's new and I like it and I'm fucking scared of losin' it all again, alright?!" he was starting to lose his temper and his voice rose in volume. He wasn't mad at her, he was mad at himself, because he just wasn't able to explain it all right.

"Okay, that's good, that gives me something to work with." Teddy said smilingly, making Daryl calm down again.

"Really?"

"Yes. I feel the same. Things with you are so very different than they were with other guys. It is more intense for me too. When you look at me, I get this rush, too. I get so happy, it's insane. And the things you did to me, the way we had sex, I never ever would have let another guy do that." Teddy was shut up by the horrified look on Daryl's face.

"Ya said you'd stop me if it was too much... that you wouldn't let me hurt ya, but you didn't. Damn, Doc, that can't be happening either. Ya can't let me do shit like t-"

"Stop! I let you explain, now let me explain, okay? Just shut up for a moment and let me finish. Don't freak out, this might come out wrong, too, but I'll try to explain as best as I can. Yes, you hurt me a little when we slept together, but I didn't mind." she blushed and cleared her throat before she continued. "I liked the way we did it. It turned me on to really feel all of you, every inch, all your strength and your masculinity. It's hard to explain. I never liked guys who were rough or dominant in bed, but I love it with you. You have an inner animal, no doubt about that and it's great and I guess that's why I don't mind when you go alpha male on me, because it comes naturally to you. It's not forced and you do it in a way that is not intimidating or threatening. It is a part of you, not an act. I enjoyed what we did immensely. It was a lot to take, but it wasn't too much, that's why I didn't stop you. You challenge me and you can really trust that I'll say no when the challenge is too much for me to handle. That being said, there are still things we will need to talk about where sex is concerned. I liked it, but we can't do it like that every time-"

"Don't wanna do it like that every time. I didn't wanna do it like that yesterday, not really, jus' wasn't able to control it." he quickly cut her off, wanting to assure her that he didn't plan on ravaging her like that all the time. He felt bad, even though she kept telling him that she had enjoyed it, it didn't change the fact that he hadn't done anything to help her finish.

"Okay." Teddy finished off her wine and smiled. "So, are we gonna give this whole thing another try?"

"I'd like that." Daryl nodded enthusiastically.

"Me, too. But this is really the last chance, okay? No more running off and leaving me to wonder for a whole day what the fuck happened and if I'll ever see you again. I understand that things might be overwhelming, that is perfectly fine, but instead of running off, just give me a sign or tell me that you need to take a moment to figure things out. I'd be the last person to deny you that time to get your head back on straight. I just need to know that we are okay and you just need some time and space to think. I'd rather have you blow up at me and get it out of your system than that running off shit. That fucking hurt."

"I'm sorry. Won't happen again. I promise. I'm gonna work on all that stuff." Daryl promised genuinely while he looked into her eyes.

Teddy got up from her chair and walked over to where he sat and planted herself on his lap. Daryl sighed in relief and wrapped his arms around her midsection while hers went around his neck. Teddy pressed herself against him hard and kissed his neck before she buried her face against it. "I've had the worst day. I just wanna lay down and sleep for a month."

"I'll get outta your hair, let ya sleep." Daryl mumbled against her shoulder. His hands were rubbing her back and legs comfortingly and Teddy felt tears well up in her eyes. She'd been strong all day and now she was finally crashing at feeling his gentle touch she had been longing for since yesterday morning.

"No, please stay. Lay down with me. I'll order something nice to eat for you, but please don't leave already. I missed you." Daryl frowned when he heard her voice waver and break and pulled away a little, trying to see her face.

"Look at me." He ordered softly. Teddy looked up at him and quickly wiped her tears away.

"I'm sorry. It's been one of the shittiest days I've had in a long time."

"I'm sorry."

"Wasn't just you. It was everything." she took a deep breath to calm herself and slowly got off his lap. "What do you wanna eat? Let's order you something, I just wanna be on my couch as soon as possible."

"Burger's fine." he didn't care much about food right now, he was just happy that things were looking up again and that she still wanted to be with him.

Teddy picked up the phone and called the burger place and ordered something for Daryl. A half hour later she was curled up on the couch while Daryl quickly ate his food. When he was done he chugged back his iced coke and took the trash to the kitchen so Teddy wouldn't have to deal with the mess later.

"Good, now come here." she smiled and scooted over until her back was pressed against the back of the couch. She had a big L-shaped sofa, there was enough room for her and Daryl to fit on it together comfortably. Daryl kicked off his boots and laid on his back next to her, letting her put her head on his shoulder. Teddy closed her eyes and breathed him, her hand slipped underneath his shirt and drew lazy circles on the bare skin of his flat belly. Daryl groaned inwardly when that little touch made him yearn for more. Something was seriously wrong with him. She needed comfort and he was thinking about her hand slipping into his pants and jerking him off.

"This couch might be more comfy than ma own bed." he said, trying to distract himself from the lust that was spiking inside of him.

"It's nice, isn't it? I fall asleep here a lot. It can be pulled out to be a bed, too. It's bigger than my actual bed when I do that. The only thing that sucks is that it creaks when I move and it wakes me up. That's when I move into my bedroom."

"Ya pull it out when yer by yerself?"

"Yeah, I like it, it's comfy. I like to roll around in a big field of coziness."

"Sounds good, so it makes sense I reckon." Daryl smiled while he stroked his fingers over her arm.

"My parents know." she murmured next, making Daryl tense up momentarily.

"'Bout us?" he felt Teddy nod against his shoulder and sighed. "Lemme guess. They ain't happy."

"No, they most definitely are not. Told me that I couldn't be seen with you anymore." Teddy told him and even though Daryl had known they would be against them being together, it still hurt. He could just imagine what they had said about him.

"What did ya say when they told ya that?"

"I told them to go fuck themselves and left." Teddy giggled when Daryl bellowed out a laugh and squeezed her tightly against him.

"That's ma girl. Ya really said that? Literally?"

"Yeah. They said that they had a reputation to uphold and that I can't see you anymore and I said fuck you and go fuck yourselves. My mother said some very hurtful things about you. She doesn't even know you. I told them how great you are, but they didn't want to hear it. Fucking bourgeois assholes."

"What did they say 'bout me?"

"I'm not gonna repeat it. It was bullshit anyway. When they were done with you they told me that I was ruining their lives and that they wouldn't give up what they had worked for so hard because of me again. I just walked out of there. Saw my dad later when I was done with my last patient. He's no longer talking to me."

"Sorry."

"It's not your fault, Daryl. I don't even care about them ignoring me. Only means I'll get some peace and quiet and won't get roped into stupid artwork projects or stuff like that."

"Can't believe ya stuck up for me after what I did ta you."

"They were being assholes. And it's just not fair, you know? People judging you because of your family? You didn't choose your father or your brother. You are nothing like them, you make a conscious effort not to be like them and yet, people hear your name and they assume the worst."

"Always been that way. I mean, I get along with a lot of people, but the higher ups, the ones with the suits, they think they're better and just judge."

"My mom said you look like a serial killer." Daryl scoffed when she said that, smirking in amusement.

"Guess she's not entirely wrong about that. I don't look like a nice person." Daryl had to agree on that one.

"Not when you are scowling, no. You look mean as fuck when you scowl. But when we are alone, like now, you look so young and sweet. Especially when you smile. You have the nicest smile... You're so gorgeous. Scowl or no scowl, you're a handsome devil."

"Ya seriously gotta stop that compliment shit. I ain't much to look at."

"I told you that you have to get used to it. It's part of this nice little thing we have. Accept it." she smiled against his shoulder and gently tickled his ribs. Unfortunately he wasn't ticklish, but the sensation still raised goosebumps on his flesh. Teddy lifted her head and gently kissed along his neck up to his ear. Daryl took deep breaths in response and squeezed her tighter.

"How you doing on your control?" Teddy breathed quietly against his ear.

"Not as good as I'd like." Daryl pressed out between clenched teeth.

"Really? This is enough to get you riled up?"

"Not just that. Ya had yer hand under ma shirt the whole time. Don't know what the fuck is wrong with me." he groaned, embarrassed that he was acting like a 15 year old teenager instead of a 35 year old grown-ass man.

"It's probably just because everything is new and exciting. I'm sure it'll pass after a couple of times."

"What if it don't. I had new and exciting with girls before. Never turned into a fucking animal with any of 'em. Just you. It's fucking strong."

"There's nothing wrong about that, like I said, I liked it, but we still gotta work on getting you to control yourself better. I don't mean to pile on here, but I am sore as hell after doing it twice like that in a row."

"Fuck. I ain't that selfish, usually. I didn't ever wanna treat a lady like that."

"It's gonna be okay. We can work on that. It's gonna be fun working on that, don't you think?" she giggled and looked up, seeing a grin spread on his face.

"Hell yeah it's gon' be fun. Maybe we should come up with one of 'em safe words." he suggested.

"You know what, that might not be a bad idea. What should we use?" she shifted and moved to lay half on top of him, putting her hands on his chest and resting her chin on it.

"Gotta be something we don't say much."

"Okay, so Sex God is out." she laughed when he smacked her butt with a mock serious expression on his face.

"Be serious. Gotta be something I recognize immediately. Something that'll make me stop right away."

"How abouuuuut fire alarm?"

"Yeah, that might work. That'll definitely get my attention. You gon' be able to remember that?"

"Sure." she giggled. "Hey, seriously though, we don't need a safe word. I trust you. I trust you to stop when I tell you to and I trust you to stop as soon as you notice that I'm uncomfortable. And so will I if you tell me to stop or I notice you're not into something. A couple should know each other well enough to notice those things. If they don't, well then they shouldn't even be doing things they might need a safe word for anyway."

"Guess that's right, but do ya honestly think we're there yet? That we know each other that good?"

"Of course not. But we'll get there and I don't think that we'll be doing things we might need safe words for until we get to that point. Do you?"

"With the way I've been..."

"Daryl, if I shout no and shove you off of me, I'm pretty sure you'll get the message. Just relax, okay? Don't stress yourself out. Everything will be fine." she smiled and moved to straddle him. "I'm gonna kiss you now and we won't be doing anything else tonight, because I am seriously tired. Might be a nice little exercise for you to not let your urges win right now."

"That's just fucking evil, Doc." he grinned, but already put his hand on the back of her neck and pulled her down to meet his mouth, but Teddy quickly traced her tongue along his soft lips before they had the chance to press down on hers. Daryl groaned and tightened his grip on her neck. "You're making it harder on purpose."

"You'll survive. Relax." Teddy giggled against his lips, before she shut him up with her lips. Daryl did pretty well while they exchanged soft kisses and enjoyed just being close for a while, but when their kisses deepened and their tongues roamed and caressed each other it got really hard for him to stay in control. The heady rush of primal lust shot through his veins, leading him towards his animalistic high. Teddy felt it when his breathing and his grip on her changed. His hands wandered down to her hips and pushed her down hard against his loins with a growl. He groaned in frustration when she didn't move against him, so he pushed and pulled at her to get her pelvis moving. Teddy didn't stop kissing him while she put her hands on his arms and traced them down until she was able to take his hands into hers. She gently bit his tongue while she moved their linked hands up over his head.

"Easy, honey. No funny business." she said against his lips and almost laughed when he shot her a pouting look.

"This really ain't affecting ya at all?" he asked frustratedly.

"It does affect me. I want you, trust me I do, but I was serious about being tired. And you need to learn to get a grip on yourself when we're together like this. But see? You're doing really good. You stopped immediately. No safe word needed." She was smiling so big it was impossible for Daryl not to reciprocate. He slowly wrestled his hands free from her grip and rubbed them over her sides.

"Ya do look tired. I should go and let ya get yer rest."

"You just wanna get out of this little exercise." She smirked and kissed him again. "Why don't you stay? I'd love to have you next to me tonight."

"Yeah? Sure?"

"Absolutely."

"Okay. Let's get you into bed then." Daryl effortlessly got up from the couch while holding her in his arms and carried her into her bedroom and Teddy almost changed her mind about being too tired to have sex with him, because him being able to do that like it was nothing was seriously hot. Nobody had ever carried her, not in her adult life anyway. She could definitely get used to that.

###### ###### ###### ###### ####### ###### ########

The next morning Wade was sporting a huge, face-splitting grin when Daryl hurried into the auto-repair shop over half an hour too late. Teddy had forgotten to set her alarm and they only woke up because the receptionist from her office called to ask where she was.

"Well, well, well,... that's a first. You being late? What's the matter? Had a physical scheduled with your new doctor girlfriend?"

"You do know that's my sister you're talking about, don't you?" Billy arched his eyebrow at Wade, giving Daryl the opportunity to just quickly walk by them to get to the locker room to get changed, without having to respond. It was obvious how uncomfortable the statement had made the shy redneck. Billy figured that it had to be weird for Daryl to see him there not knowing where he stood on Daryl dating Teddy.

"Sorry, man." Wade grinned, showing that he wasn't sorry at all. "I had that line waiting to get out for half an hour. I just had to say it. It was a good one, you gotta admit that. Physical... with the doctor... get it?"

"I'm not an idiot. And again, that's my sister your talking about, so shut it and back off Daryl, alright?"

"Yeah, fine. Didn't mean no harm." Wade held up his hands in surrender before he went back to work. Daryl soon came back out in his work overall and stood next to Billy to help him with an engine they've been working on.

"So, I guess you and my sister are kind of official now, huh?" Billy asked Daryl, keeping his voice neutral and his eyes on the engine.

"Yeah." Daryl cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Sorry."

"No, don't apologize. I ain't one of those brothers. If you guys are happy together, then that's fine by me. My parents are gonna give you more than enough trouble. No need to pile on. And this doesn't have to be weird okay? We're all adults and as long as you treat her right I'll have your back, don't worry." Billy sent a reassuring smile Daryl's way which made the redneck relax visibly.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it. Needless to say, if you hurt her, not even the woods will be safe for you to hide in."

"If I hurt her I won't hide. I deserve everything I got comin' ta me then." Daryl said earnestly.

"My parents are on a rampage. Called me yesterday and threw a fit. Teddy's gonna say that she doesn't care, but don't let that fool you. She'll be sad and hurt if they keep it up, which I guess they will. They can be the sweetest people on this planet if they want to be, but they can also be the biggest dickheads in history. I wish they were different, but they aren't. They hear your name and they expect the worst and because of that they won't even give you a chance or give themselves a chance to get to know you. That's their fault, not yours. I know you're a decent man. Eventually they'll crack, especially if Teddy shuts them out of her life. It may take some time but someday they will wanna meet you, but until then you two gotta keep your heads up and stay strong. We gotta take care of her. She has to go to work with our father every single day. It won't be easy for her."

Daryl just nodded, not knowing what to say. He felt like a jackass, because in his mind, he was majorly fucking up Teddy's life now. Her life is going to get a lot more stressful because of him, she's fighting with her parents because of him. He was being selfish, maybe he should just let her go, leave her alone and let her go back to her old life. Daryl was startled when Billy chuckled next to him.

"Don't even think about it, dude."

"What?" Daryl looked at Billy skeptically, wondering if the guy was able to read minds.

"I can see it on your face, man. Don't think you'd be doing her a favor by breaking up with her. She thinks you're worth fighting for. She is nothing if not fiercely loyal. She likes you, so she will do everything to defend you and protect you from all evil bullshit that might be coming your way. If she'd think you weren't worth the trouble she would have dumped your ass right after the first sign of trouble from our folks, but she told them to go fuck themselves. She's all in, dude." Billy grinned at Daryl's blush. "I'll stop talking now, but I just thought you should know before you do something stupid."

Another nod from Daryl and the conversation was over. Daryl was glad that Billy had spoken up, though. He hadn't even thought about Teddy WANTING to fight for him. It was still so surreal to him, that she really wanted to be with him and that she thought he was worth something. Enough to let him screw up her life. She deserved so much better than him, but still she chose him and from now on he would make sure to be the best he could be for her.

####### ###### ###### ###### ####### ###### #######

Teddy had a really bad day at work. Her father wasn't even looking at her and whenever they had to discuss something patient-related, they would pass messages back and forth via their receptionist, who of course wasn't happy with having to play messenger pigeon. Two patients she had treated on Friday and who had to come in for a check-up, even refused to be treated by her and opted for waiting an hour longer to see her father. A person who was having relations with a Dixon obviously could not be trusted, according to some stuck up idiots. Thankfully there were others, who thought it was some kind of cute romance novel shit. They had just kept going on and on about how romantic it was and how amazing for two so very different people to meet and fall in love. Teddy had just smiled and laughed quietly. It was good to see that not everybody was being a close-minded ass.

Her lunch break she spent on the phone with Billy, who told her about the call he'd received from their parents the night before. He reassured her once more that he was on her side and he'd defend her and Daryl until he'd get blue in the face. After he teasingly reminded her to set her alarm to half an hour earlier if she insisted on giving Daryl a physical in the morning before work.

"God, that was not what happened. We just talked and fell asleep and I forgot to set it. No physicals involved, gutter head." Teddy laughed.

"That's what everybody here thinks, though. And so did I, but don't stress, I had your boy's back and distracted Wade from talking any more shit."

"Thanks, I'm sure he appreciated it."

"Yeah, I think he did. He's a good man. I'm happy for you, I really hope you guys can make it work. This way I won't have to listen to you girls chattering on about girly stuff anymore, I'll have Daryl to talk shop."

"Already planning double dates, I see." Teddy grinned with amusement.

"Hell yeah. Still wanna see my sis regularly."

"You're sweet. It's time for me to go back to work. Talk to you later."

"Want me to kiss your boyfriend for you?"

"Shut up." She laughed and hung up. Boyfriend. Was he her boyfriend now? She should discuss that with him later, she decided before she threw out the rest of her lunch and got ready to see her next patient.

###### ####### ####### ####### ######## ########

"There you are, I was just about to call you." Teddy was incredibly happy to find Daryl standing in front of her apartment door upon opening it after she had heard a knock.

"Hey." he smiled a little and walked past her into her apartment while she closed the door. "Sorry I didn't call before I came here."

"Don't worry about it, you can come over anytime." she walked up to him and slung her arms around his neck and kissed him hard. "Mmmmm,... hi."

"Bad day?" he smiled and rubbed his hands over her shoulders and down her back.

"Oh yeah. And I guess there will be more of that to come." Teddy sighed and brushed her nose against his neck, relishing in his smell and his warmth. He grasped her butt in his strong hands and gave it a firm squeeze before he lifted her up. When she had wrapped her legs around him he dropped down on the couch with her.

"Yer daddy givin' you shit?"

"Kind of. By giving me the silent treatment. He won't even talk to me about patients. I have to use Judy, our receptionist, to pass on messages or get questions answered or whatever. It's bullshit. How was your day? Did you get in trouble for being late?"

"Nah, boss didn't even notice. He often don't come in until like noon."

"That sounds heavenly." she smiled and started nipping on his neck. He smelled delicious. He must have taken a shower before coming over, he was dressed in a black t-shirt and a pair of black jeans and his hair was soft and fluffy again. "Did you eat?"

"Yeah. All done." he sighed, his eyes falling close when Teddy sucked on his earlobe.

"Good." she kissed her way along his stubbly jaw until she reached his scruffy chin. The tip of her nose ghosted over his lips when she moved higher towards his mouth, tickling him, causing a little grin to part his lips.

"Miss me today?" he asked. He'd liked when she had told him the day before that she had missed him. It made him feel needed and secretly he really craved that feeling of somebody needing him.

"Oh yeah. I can't tell you how much." she smiled and pressed her lips to his gently.

"Try." he murmured against her mouth with a smile.

"Okay, I missed you like Winnie the Pooh misses his honey when he is out and about in Hundred Acre Wood with Piglet." she chuckled and got a soft kiss from Daryl as a reward for the explanation.

"One more." he grinned.

"I missed you as much as it rains in Seattle."

"That's a lot, ain't it?" his cute little smile was endearing. Teddy couldn't help but kiss him deeply before she answered.

"That's a whole lot, yeah."

"Works for me." he grinned, making Teddy laugh. She adored this side of him, she wished he would always be this happy and carefree.

"Good, now shut up. I have plans for you, honey." She kissed him and let her tongue roam inside his mouth to help along with shutting him up. The day had been emotionally exhausting for her and she wanted to get lost in Daryl and his wonderfully strong arms.

"Sounds good." he rasped when they came up for air. "Maybe we can combine them with my plans for you. Bedroom. Now."

Teddy stayed put on his lap and giggled while she nipped at his neck. "You know the way."

"Lazy ass." Daryl chuckled when he got up with her still wrapped around him and went to the bedroom, kicking the door shut behind him, relishing in her happy giggle, when he dropped her on her back on the bed with him on top of her. Tonight he would do his damnedest to make her feel good, even if it killed him.

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**AN: Thank you for reading, following, favoriting and reviewing! Please don't ever stop, your feedback is absolutely amazing and has given me some great ideas so far.**

**Sorry for the smut cliffhanger,so to speak, but that episode was seriously distracting. My head is just not able to work through it all just yet.**

**SPOILER ALERT:**

**How great was that episode last night? Heart-wrenching, but oh so hot, hot, hot. The hottest moment for me? The crossbow practice! The way he grabbed her, slung his arm around her and said "Come here?" the second time? God my ovaries are fried to the point of no return. Rough Daryl, more of that please.**

**Also that preview with them holding hands? Like full on, intertwined fingers handholding? Thank God somebody screencapped that and I can stare at it and imagine it being Teddy and Daryl, lol. Awesome, just awesome, I can't get over it.**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

They were rolling around her bed, making out like their lives depended on it, they were all tongues and teeth, desperate hands getting rid of each others clothing piece by piece in quick succession. Daryl was still in his black cotton boxers when he had rid her of her crimson colored lace panties, the last article of clothing she'd had on. Daryl arched his eyebrow at her with an amused expression when he saw the sexy underwear.

"Came prepared, did ya?"

Teddy blushed and shoved him playfully. "Daryl! You're making me blush, that's not nice."

"I like when ya blush."

"I'm naked and self-conscious and now embarrassed on top of that." she laughed and crossed her arms over her chest and pulled her legs up to shield her intimate parts from his view.

"Ain't got nothin' ta be embarrassed about. Ya look good." He kissed her while his hands gently moved her arms away from her naked breasts. Teddy sighed blissfully at the feeling of his warm, calloused hand gliding over her belly to close over her left breast. "Already seen these." he breathed against her lips, then his hand slid back down her belly slowly and Teddy inhaled sharply when he cupped her sex. "And I already felt this." his voice had dropped lower a little, the growl returning to it. As soon as his fingers came in contact with the soft flesh between her thighs the strong urge to bury himself inside of her took a hold of him again. Not today, he swore to himself and took a deep breath and withdrew his hand.

"You okay?" Teddy asked when she felt him tense for a moment.

"Yeah, I will be. Gettin' better at controlling this shit." he smiled and slowly trailed his lips and tongue down her neck.

"That's right. You're doing real good." she smiled and let her eyes fall shut and enjoyed his gentle ministrations.

"'s hard, though."

"I can feel that." she giggled and moved her leg to rub her thigh along the bulge in his underwear.

"Cut it out. Don't wanna cum in ma damn underwear." he warned and nipped at her collar bone sharply. Teddy gasped and shivered, her hands holding his head to her.

"Do that again." she breathed and rubbed her thighs together reflexively when she felt her lower regions start to tingle. Daryl grinned and kissed along her collar bone towards her neck, then he bit down at the juncture of her neck and shoulder and grinned even bigger when he felt the soft skin under his fingers break out into goosebumps while she moaned low in her throat.

"Someone likes a little biting."

"Only with you." Teddy smiled. "It's amazing how different it is with you."

Daryl kissed her deeply in response and brought his hand back to her breast. He squeezed softly, enjoying how the soft globe filled his palm. He broke the kiss and moved his head lower, letting his lips join the hand on her left tit. He kept squeezing rhythmically while he kissed her nipple. He parted his lips, letting his tongue join the party, slowly circling her hardening peak.

Teddy threaded her fingers through his long hair, massaging his scalp a little and enjoyed what he was doing. It felt nice, almost relaxing and she just kept her eyes closed and breathed deeply. She had never been one to get overly aroused by nipple play. When she got herself off, she always skipped that part. Daryl frowned after a while when he didn't get a whole lot of response from her. He figured that he was doing something wrong, so far every girl he's been with had liked when he'd sucked their tits. Or maybe they had just faked it? He wasn't discouraged, he would just have to find out what she liked.

"Alright, let's try it like this." he grinned when he had an idea. He sucked his thumb into his mouth and as soon as it was nice and wet, he rubbed and circled her nipple with it. His tongue trailed a long line across her chest over to her other breast. He let his tongue flick her nipple, while his thumb still steadily worked the other one. Then he caught the whole areola between his teeth carefully, but with enough pressure to cause tiny pinpricks of pain that got paired with the pleasure of his tongue toying with the nipple in his mouth. Teddy's eyes shot open and she released a little shout, her hand clutching his hair a little harder now.

Daryl's right hand left her breast again and slid right between her legs. His lips stretched into a satisfied grin around her nipple when his fingertips were met with moisture at her opening. It wasn't enough tough, she'd need a bit more to be able to take him without pain this time. He knew they probably shouldn't fuck today because of her being sore, but he just had to. He wanted her so goddamn much, there was no way he would be able to hold himself off from taking her. Only if she'd tell him no and so far it didn't seem like that was going to happen. He just wanted to wrap himself around her and hold her as tightly as possible while he buried himself inside of her over and over again until she begged him to stop.

Teddy was squirming against him while his fingertips massaged her opening. His palm was pressed against her clit, but not enough to cause friction when she rubbed herself against it. What his mouth was doing with her nipple felt really good. His teeth burying themselves into her flesh and his tongue flicking her nipple while he bit her shot straight to her center. She wanted him badly and she got a little impatient. "Daryl please. I want you!" she moaned and tried to get her hands on his boxer-clad erection that was pressing into her thigh.

"Not yet, darlin'." he smiled after removing his mouth from her breast. "Need ta get you worked up a little more first. Ain't ready ta take me yet."

She shivered again, his voice and his words made her insides clench pleasurably. So many firsts with Daryl, she was amazed that he was able to make her react by just talking into her ear. Maybe because he rarely ever talked when they were sitting in the kitchen or her living room, but in here he wasn't shy at all and definitely not at a loss for words. It was pretty sexy. She shifted a little when she felt him snake his arm underneath her head. He grabbed her shoulder and pulled her close to his body, holding her tightly, just like he'd wanted to. One of his legs curled over one of hers, pinning her to the mattress and keeping her from closing her legs. Teddy hissed when he pushed his middle finger inside of her slowly, rotating it a little before he pulled it back out.

"That hurt?" his breath was hot against her ear.

"No, it's just a little tender still." she gasped and bucked against him when his wet middle finger came in contact with her clit.

"Feel good?"

"Mhm." she grunted out and bit her lip when he started rubbing her. Daryl growled when he watched her lustful expression. She had no idea how sexy she was, especially right now. He couldn't stop the rush flowing through him again and what made his control wear even thinner was looking down and seeing his own hand working her sweet little pussy. HIS hand was causing her to moan like that. She was bucking and rubbing up against HIS fingers. Her lust was all for him and it drove him crazy.

"Wanna be inside 'a ya. Wanna fuck ya til ya scream." he groaned in her ear, while his hand sped up its movements.

"Do it! Fuck me, Daryl." Her words made his dick twitch and throb something awful. He released her and knelt between her legs. He shoved his boxers down to his knees and pushed her knees up to her chest so he could position himself. A little part in the back of his mind was relieved when he slid into her way easier than the first two times, knowing he wasn't hurting her this time around, but he forgot all about that quickly, when her wet heat constricted around him to squeeze his hard member.

"Fuck, Doc. Keep that up and yer gon' make me cum real fast." he groaned and rested himself on his forearms next to her head, his chest brushing her nipples while he pushed himself inside of her as deeply as the position would allow.

"That's the plan." She moaned and squeezed her muscles around him again.

"Fucking hell." he muttered and started pumping his cock into her fast. She was killing him with that squeezing shit. There was no way he would be able to take that for very long. He wanted her to cum with him this time, she'd already been left wanting twice and he wasn't about to leave her hanging a third time, so he reached his right hand between them and pressed his thumb against her clit.

Teddy was focused on Daryl, though. She watched him and kept squeezing her pelvic muscles rhythmically to massage his cock. She loved how he grunted every time she did it, she loved to give him an extra little spike of pleasure by doing it.

"You like that baby, don't you?" she moaned breathlessly. "You wanna know what I like?" she asked and got another grunt in return. "I like feeling your cum on my body, baby. When you're there, I want you to pull out and cum all over me."

"Oh Jesus fucking Christ." Daryl moaned, his voice starting to get more high-pitched the closer he got to cumming. He slammed her harder and just a few thrusts later he pulled out and used his right hand to pump himself through his orgasm, while he ejected thick, creamy spurts of semen onto her belly right up until the underside of her breasts. He was panting like he'd run a marathon and once his body stilled after being shook by his release, he collapsed on to the bed next to her. He opened his eyes just in time to watch her drag her finger through the mess he'd left and his eyes widened when she brought the digit up to her lips.

"Aw hell, Doc..." he groaned when she sucked the tip of her finger clean.

"Mmmm, not bad." she giggled and reached for her top that had been thrown on the nightstand and wiped him off of her belly.

"You're unbelievable." he sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. "Damn, I'm fucking tired now." he admitted embarrassed when he felt himself becoming sleepy.

"I'd be surprised if you wouldn't be." she smiled and rolled over on her side to kiss him. Their tongues danced around each other sloppily, both of them feeling lazy and getting tired. Teddy soon broke the kiss and just looked at him with a big smile on her face.

"Ya look happy." he murmured drowsily, two of his fingers caressing her cheek lazily.

"I am. You really do make me happy, Daryl. I'm glad you're here." she kissed him again before she remembered that she had to set the alarm. She rolled over towards the nightstand to grab her phone and activate it and when she rolled back towards Daryl, he was already fast asleep. She giggled quietly and gently kissed his cheek before she turned around, but kept her body close to his, her ass firmly snuggled against his hip.

"Goodnight, honey." she whispered before she fell asleep herself.

######## ####### ###### ####### ###### #######

"Good morning, Judy." Teddy smiled when she entered the practice the next morning. Even though she didn't feel good about seeing her father again, having woken up next to Daryl and having started out the day by having breakfast with him had put her in a good mood.

"Good morning, Teddy. While you're here, please sign these. It's for the lab for the blood work on Mr. Hainesworth."

"No problem." Teddy signed the forms and handed them back to their receptionist. "How's the morning look so far? Who's first?"

"Uhm,..." Judy cleared her throat and looked quite uncomfortable. "Actually, your schedule is pretty freed up. You still have an hour before your first patient comes in. That would be Mandy Mills with her newborn for a check-up."

"Seriously? More patients cancelled?" Teddy sighed deeply. How was this possible? Was this whole town full of bigoted, intolerant, stuck up assholes like her parents? How can they judge somebody like that. They didn't know her nor Daryl and also her dating choices really shouldn't reflect on her skills as a physician. Idiots. All of them. Her father sure had a ball with this.

"I'm sorry Teddy, I should have called to let you know, but your father said you could use the time to do some paperwork." Judy said apologetically.

"Of course he did. It's okay Judy. Then just let me know when Mrs Mills and her baby get here."

"Will do." Judy nodded and Teddy walked into her office and plopped into her chair. This was not good. Apparently word of mouth was even more important in small towns than it was in a bigger city like Seattle. She couldn't believe that a lot of people would no longer want to have her as a doctor just because she was dating a Dixon, but she knew that only one person was enough to get a bad reputation started. Gossip spread fast in this town, so it really shouldn't be a surprise that it wouldn't be any different in this case. Still she hadn't counted on something like this. It sucked, because it proved her father right. Dating Daryl was ruining her reputation, but did she care? A big fat NO on that one. The only thing that she did care about and that was bothering her was her father being right and him knowing that he was right.

Mandy Mills coming in with her baby took her mind off of everything for a couple of minutes. She loved doing those exams and getting to play with them a little, even if it was just for a minute.

"Oh look at her, she is just beautiful." Teddy beamed when Mandy got her little daughter out of her carrier. "How are things. Are you doing okay?"

"Yes, we are all doing great. But she sleeps so much, is that normal? Like 18 hours a day?"

"That's completely normal, don't worry. Enjoy it, you need to rest as much as you can for the next five weeks. Any problems at all?"

"Yes, just this morning when I undressed her, she suddenly had these pimples all over her side. I don't know what that is. Could she be sick? Is that a skin disease or something?" Mandy looked worried while she undressed her daughter, but as soon as Teddy caught the first glimpse of what she meant, she was able to put her worries to rest.

"Oh that is pretty common, Mandy. It's a newborn acne. It comes out of nowhere and goes away just as quickly. You don't have to do anything. Just leave it. It will be gone in a couple of days. Now let's see if she gained any weight." Teddy measured and weighed the little baby and checked her heart and lungs and her eyes and inside her mouth and moved her limbs around gently to check for any abnormalities, but thankfully she found none.

"Everything is in working order. She's as healthy as can be."

"Thank God. I figured, but you know... I still always worry."

"And trust me, that will never ever stop. But it's a good thing. How about you? How is your back doing?"

"It's all still pretty sore. And all that bleeding sucks. I already ruined like 4 pairs of underwear." Mandy admitted dismayed and Teddy rubbed her shoulder gently.

"Sorry, if it's any consolation, every woman goes through that. Just make sure that you rest a lot and drink lots of fluids. It takes some time for everything to go back to normal, but you'll get there."

"Thanks, Dr. Robertson. You were such a great help during the birth. I'm so sorry about all these people talking about your private life. It's nobody's business but your own. Me and my husband went to school with Daryl. We know that he is not like Merle or Will, but you know how people are. They like scandals better than cute little love stories. I can't believe that not even your mother is supporting you." Mandy chatted away while she re-dressed her daughter.

"My mother? She's talking to people about this?"

"I'm sorry, I probably shouldn't have said anything, but... yes. Not to me directly, but I heard rumors that she said that living in a town like Seattle with all these grunge folk hanging around must have impaired your judgement,... or something like that. I'm sorry."

"No, that's okay. You didn't do anything." Teddy smiled, but it was a forced smile while she clenched her teeth in anger.

"Well we have to get going. Lots of things to do. Bye, Doctor."

"Bye and please don't forget to schedule the next appointments for you and your daughter for next month." Teddy closed the door behind the new mom and her baby and had to fight hard not to kick her foot against it as hard as she could. Of course her mother had to take their family problems outside and share them with everyone. No wonder people are canceling appointments. She was worried about Teddy ruining their good reputation? What about her badmouthing her own daughter?

"Unbelievable." Teddy shook her head. This was just going down a really bad road really fast and it looked like there was no stopping it. Maybe she should just move a couple of towns away, but unfortunately that would throw a huge wrench into her dating life with Daryl. Also she didn't want to tell him about patients canceling on her, because he would just feel guilty and probably unravel again. Good thing that she would meet Billy after work, she desperately needed to unload. That reminded her that she needed to tell Daryl that she wouldn't be home after work, so he wouldn't make the trip in vain.

To: Daryl

Hi honey, I hope you have a great day at work.

Just wanted to let you know that I won't be home until late tonight.

I'm meeting Billy for dinner.

If you want I'll text you when I'm home and you can come over then.

If you'd like.

Xoxo Teddy

She hit send and put her phone away to call her next patient in. Thank God most of them still wanted to be treated by her. For now. When she checked her phone at the beginning of her lunch break she had a message from Daryl.

From: Daryl

ok.

She laughed, even when texting he was mono-syllabic. It was adorable, albeit taxing sometimes, but right now she was just happy that she'd get to see him tonight. She couldn't get enough of him. It was hard enough to drag herself out of bed this morning after waking up with him wrapped around her like a kraken. He had looked so cute with his hair falling in his eyes and sticking up in other places and his sleepy, grumbly expression when she'd had to wake him. She was just enamored with him and all she wanted to do these days was make him happy. Hopefully as happy as he made her.

####### ####### ######## ######## #######

"Have I ever complained about not being the favorite kid?" Billy asked while he was lounging on his couch with Teddy later that night.

"Only a hundred thousand times." Teddy deadpanned while she ate her cookie dough ice cream straight out of the carton.

"Well, I take it all back. My life was much quieter when you were the favorite. Mom keeps calling all the freaking time, wanting me to do this and pick up that and she wants me and Maggie to come over and get this: glue old newspapers on some old piece of furniture to make it pretty again. It's newspapers, how the fuck would that make anything pretty?" Billy shook his head in disbelief.

"It's called decoupage. It's not just newspaper, you put a ton of varnish on it and then gold stuff, whatever. It sucks. Been there, done that about four times. Glad I'm no longer getting asked to go. But you two have fun. It's a great opportunity for Mom to supply you with the newest town gossip. Oh wait, this time, that would be about me and Daryl. So like I said, have fun."

"Awesome. They are so pissed at you. I didn't think it would be THAT bad. I knew they wouldn't be happy, but that they are completely ignoring you and talking shit about you, didn't see that coming."

"Yeah, tell me about it. I'm losing patients, but I think that's not because I'm dating Daryl, but because our own parents are badmouthing me and my skills."

"You're losing patients? Fuck! Man Teddy, don't get this the wrong way, but I gotta ask..."

"He is worth it." Teddy knew where he was going with it. "I'm sure. He makes me so goddamn happy, Billy. Even with all this other shit going on, I haven't felt this good since Milo was born."

"Does he treat you right?"

"He tries, very very hard. In general he is absolutely amazing. There's just some kinks we have to work out. He's just not very experienced, socially I mean. With women. So sometimes he freaks a little, but he is really working on that. And so far he's always apologized. He's a good guy." Teddy had a huge smile on her face while she talked about Daryl and to Billy this was proof enough that Daryl was good for her.

"How'd you really get those scratches? Don't feed me that tripping in the dark bullshit."

"In a way it was exactly that. I lost my footing. During sex with Daryl against a tree." Teddy smirked.

"I knew it. You did it in the woods, huh? At that party? First time?"

"Yes, yes and yes. He felt so bad about the scratches. It wasn't his fault but he kept beating himself up over it. He was worried you'd beat him up for it."

"Nonsense, things happen. I don't think Daryl would ever, like, hit you or something. From what I heard his Daddy used to beat up the Mom before she died. There's two ways this would usually go. He either turns into his father or he becomes the exact opposite and I think he is the opposite."

"He is. He definitely is." Teddy agreed wholeheartedly.

"You know, it's funny. I think Mom would adore Daryl if she'd get to know him. With him being all shy around people, she'd find that endearing and try to take him under her wing." Billy laughed.

"I know, right? I totally thought the same thing."

"Yeah, she'd take him to her salon and get him a nice and proper haircut, then she'd take him shopping for shirts with sleeves and pants without rips in them."

"Oh God, no. I'd be okay with the clothes, but the hair? A liiiittle shorter, okay, but not really short. He looks so good the way he is and I love to have something to hold onto." Teddy already had that dreamy expression on her face again. She had it every time somebody mentioned Daryl, Billy had noticed.

"It was pretty short when I started working with him. He looked totally different back then. He was heavier, too. He had man boobies." Billy recalled with a chuckle.

"What? No, I don't believe that."

"You saying I'm lying?"

"Hell yeah. Have you looked at him? He's a goddamn machine! I'm sure men fantasize about having the kind of body he has, while women just fantasize about having that body in bed with them. He is sex on legs." Teddy argued fiercely.

"Hey all I'm saying is that he didn't always look like that. He had man boobs and a beer gut. I swear. Started getting thinner when his brother had a little accident and they had to pay off the hospital bill. Guess money got pretty tight then. Merle didn't work as far as I know and Daryl had to pick up the tab."

"Gosh, that man really is way too loyal for his own good. And to the wrong people."

"Looks like." Billy nodded and studied his sister while she ate the last of her ice cream. "So how are you really doing? There's no way this isn't affecting you."

"Of course it affects me. Work sucks right now. I get cramps in the mornings before I have to go in, I hate seeing Dad there. I hate this fighting shit, but they act like I am 9 years old. I won't let them have control over my life. Right now I just wanna run. Move away again and put some distance between us. But that wouldn't work. I'd miss you and Daryl and I'd have to start new again... Sounds like a lot of work."

"So you're not about to hold out an olive branch any time soon, are you?"

"Nope. Why should I? They were the ones who attacked first. They attacked Daryl and by attacking my man, they attacked me. So they would have to be the ones to apologize first. They called him trailer park trash. How demeaning is that? Nope, nuh-uh, I won't have any of that. I stand by him and that's final."

"Alright. We're going to war then. If she starts calling him names in front of me, I'll give her a piece of my mind, too. Let's see how they like not having neither one of their kids in their lives and helping out with their shit." Billy nodded determinedly.

"Good. Thanks for having my back, Billy Goat."

"Always. You gonna head home?" He asked when he noticed her going for her purse.

"Yeah. I wanna spend some time with Daryl. That okay with you? I know you get lonely when Maggie spends the week on the farm."

"I do, but that's okay. You just go ahead. I'll call her and talk to her until we fall asleep."

"That's cute. I don't think I'd ever be able to do that with Daryl. The man doesn't talk much. Maybe if it was phone sex. He talks in bed."

"More than I need to know, really. Get out before my sex life, as I know it, is over." Billy laughed and playfully shoved her towards the door.

"Alright, alright, I'm leaving. Talk to you soon." The two hugged and kissed each others cheeks and then Teddy was off, already texting Daryl on her way down to her car.

###### ###### ####### ######### ##########

"I think I wanna get myself a pet." Teddy murmured a little while later while she laid on her couch, ensconced in Daryl's strong embrace. They were just holding each other, kissing a little and watching a cooking show on TV. They hadn't been able to compromise on another show and Daryl thought watching the show might maybe teach her a thing or two. Maybe there was still a teeny tiny bit of hope for her. She was able to make these pizza things, maybe they would be able to get her to be able to make a real pizza one day.

Daryl looked down at her, one eyebrow cocked and an amused smirk on his lips. "That's random. How'd you come up with that?"

"I don't know. I've always wanted a pet, but I never really had the time while I worked at the hospital. Now it's different. I have regular hours. For the most part." Teddy explained.

"You should get a dog." Daryl suggested.

"A dog? I love dogs, but I think a cat would be better. Less time commitment."

"Nah, ya gotta get a dog. I like cats, but dogs are even better. They can protect ya better when I'm not around."

"Hey, have you seen the claws of a cat recently. Those things are fucking razors! They will fuck you up."

"Then why ain't there no goddamn watch cats? Only watch dogs? Cause cats don't fucking care about you getting attacked. They look the other way. Ya gotta get a dog. A big one." Daryl said seriously.

"Or I just get a big cat. Like Garfield-big." Teddy laughed.

"Nah, ya gotta get a dog. Big ass dog. Like one of 'em Rodesian Ridgebacks or a Rottweiler. No, no, no, you know what? Forget about those. What you gotta get is a Great Dane. Some of those fuckers are like three feet tall and that's just from paw to shoulder. It's a fucking pony, that's what ya need. A dog big enough nobody would even think twice about messing with ya."

"Daryl, look around, I don't live in a palace."

"Come on, yer apartment ain't that small."

"I can't leave a damn pony alone in my apartment all day."

"I'll take him with me ta work. He can be the shop dog. I'll walk him on ma break. I can take him out to the woods ta hunt." Daryl said enthusiastically, already imagining what it would be like.

"Okay, so let me get this straight... I would get myself a dog and he'd go to work with you, you'd walk him and take him into the woods in your free time?"

"That's right."

"So the dog, I would get for myself, he'd only be here for feeding time and for sleeping and the rest of the time he spends with you?"

"Yup." Daryl nodded decisively, making Teddy chuckle.

"Okay, then why don't you get yourself a dog, because you obviously want one and I will get myself a Garfield?"

Daryl's mood darkened and he shrugged his shoulders. "Can't really afford one. 'Nd my place is tiny. Wish I'd have a house in the woods. He could just run around there. Could shoot him his damn breakfast every day. He'd get the best of the best. As fresh as it gets."

"Sounds nice." Teddy smiled when she saw his expression. He had a faraway look in his eyes and was smiling, clearly imagining himself with the dog going out in the mornings to shoot themselves some squirrel or something.

"Yeah well, they're pipe dreams." he sounded defeated and it broke Teddy's heart a little.

"Maybe not. Maybe someday it will happen, you don't know." she smiled encouragingly.

"Don't see how. Been trying ta save up fer years. Every time I got something put away, something happens and it's gone. Been like that forever. I'm thirty-fucking-five now. Ain't getting younger. Pay won't get better. Even worse probably. Maybe I gotta start playing the goddamn lottery."

"Would be a start." Teddy kissed him gently and smiled. "Just don't lose hope. Don't give up that dream. If you do, it can never happen. You don't know what the future holds. There might be wonderful things coming."

"Pfff, right. That would be a first." Daryl scoffed.

"First time for everything, baby."

"Yeah." he muttered absently while his fingers played with her hair. 'First time for everything.' That reminded him of something he'd been thinking about a lot that day. Their sexual encounter the previous night had left him with a weird feeling. He couldn't put his finger on it and he'd been wondering about it all damn day. He'd wanted to make her cum and then she'd distracted him. Twice. He might have imagined it, but somehow he got the feeling that she didn't want him to do that for her. Which was silly, who wouldn't want that? But maybe he was doing it wrong and she didn't want to hurt his feelings? But don't women fake it in that case? He was confused about the whole thing and unsure of what was happening. He knew he should talk to her about it, otherwise he'd never get an answer, but then again, maybe it was just his imagination. It had to be. How would he bring that up in the first place? She would laugh in his face and he would look like an idiot because he wasn't able to sexually satisfy his woman. He might be a glutton for punishment, but not THAT much. Things were going well right now, he did not want to fuck that up by asking stupid questions and then losing his temper because he would get angry at himself again. Nah, he'd just have to wait and see. There was probably nothing to worry about, this was still new after all.

"Want some more Coke?" he cleared his throat and decided to get himself another drink before he wasn't able to stop thinking about the sex thing. He frowned and looked down at the top of her head when he didn't get an answer. "Doc?" Nothing. He carefully pushed himself up on his elbows to peek at her face. She had fallen asleep on his chest while he had played with her hair. It was late anyway and they'd have to get up early again, so Daryl carefully picked her up and carried her over to her bedroom. She had already put on her sleep shorts and top earlier and he just had to lay her down and tuck her in, then he undressed himself and slipped in next to her, careful not to move around too much or make too much noise, while he scooted close enough press his hip against her butt. They always fell asleep like this, barely touching. She was on her side facing away from him and he was on his back with his hands behind his head. Waking up in the morning was a whole other deal. They changed positions over night and the past two days it had been Teddy on her back in the mornings and Daryl on his side with his arms and legs wrapped around her. He smiled when he remembered how she had carefully complained about being too hot, that he was like a furnace, but still she hadn't really moved away from him. He turned his head and looked at the back of her head while she was sleeping peacefully. It was his third night here, only his third night and he already felt like they'd done this forever and he never wanted to sleep alone again.

**######### ########### ########### ############## ############### **

**AN: Thank you so so much for reading! Warm welcome hugs to all you new readers, followers and favoriters! It is so nice to see people like this. **

**I'm sorry I've been a bad bad writer and haven't responded to messages and reviews. Unfortunately real life got in the way and I channeled all my time and energy into giving you guys a new chapter. I will be better with responding again, I promise. Off to bed now, enjoy!**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Daryl was in that state between sleep and being awake, slowly coming out of his dreams and not yet aware of his surroundings. Still, he noticed that something was very different than usual. His whole body was tingling pleasantly. He felt aroused and horny and the more seconds passed the more he became aware of the warmth spreading through his lower regions, causing the tingling to get stronger. He groaned when he felt a warm, soft hand cupping his balls and rolling them in its palm, that's when he finally became fully aware of what was happening.

"Good morning, baby." he heard the little grin in her voice and he moaned deeply when he felt her teeth nip at his earlobe, while her hand slid up and down his hard shaft with just the right amount of pressure.

"It definitely is." he sighed blissfully and kept his eyes closed, focusing solely on what her hands were doing and the wet, smacking sound the movement of her hand produced. She was using some kind of lube and it felt too fucking good to describe.

"Lay on your back." she whispered in his ear. They were in their usual morning position with her on her back and him on his side and her hands were starting to cramp a little from the awkward angle. Daryl did what he was told without hesitation and Teddy followed him without taking her hands off of him. Her movements just slowed a little bit while she maneuvered herself to sit between his spread legs, her legs resting on top of his, her feet resting on either side of his hips on the mattress. Daryl wrapped his fingers around her slim ankles and held on tight while she stroked him towards completion.

"Tell me if you want it faster or harder, baby." She breathed quietly. Her voice was still thick with sleep, giving it a bit of a raspy touch, which tugged all the right strings inside Daryl's groin.

"Nah, it's fucking perfect, babe." he groaned and rubbed his hands up and down her shins firmly. She was doing him so good, he never wanted it to end. She was rotating her hand a little around him on every upward stroke and she rubbed her thumb and sometimes her whole palm over the swollen head, slick with pre-cum and whatever lube she was using.

"You're beautiful, you know that? Never seen a dick as gorgeous as yours, honey."

"Fuck..." she was killing him talking to him like that. Nobody's ever called any part of him beautiful and it stroked his ego just the right way and not just his ego. She sped up her movements when she felt him jump and twitch in her hand and made him hiss in pleasure, when she tugged on his balls a little.

"Gonna cum for me?"

"Shit yeah! Little faster, Doc. Holy fuck yeah that's it!" Daryl pushed his head back into the pillow, his hands gripping her calves in an almost painful death grip while the pressure inside of him was building at lightning speed. His hips started undulating and moving up to push harder into her hand. Teddy picked up the movement and jerked him hard and fast while his whole body tensed up and he grew completely quiet and stopped breathing for a couple of seconds, before he erupted violently with a loud growl all over her hand and his stomach.

"Damn, that's so hot." Teddy moaned herself when she watched him orgasm and shoot his cum over his belly and her hand. She slowed down, grasp only tightening when she moved her fist from the base up to the tip to milk every last drop from him until Daryl grasped her wrist and pulled her to lay on top of him. His other hand held the back of her neck and pushed her down to meet his lips. His tongue slid into her mouth and tangled passionately with hers for a long moment, before they broke apart so he could suck more air into his lungs.

"I'll get you a coffee and your cigarettes, okay?" She smiled happily at his dreamy and content expression and kissed the tip of his nose before she tried to get up.

"Or you stay right the fuck where ya are and let me return that favor for once." he grinned and moved back in to kiss her.

"I'm good, I'm gonna use the opportunity of waking up earlier to take a shower AND wash my hair. That always takes up some time."

"I could come with ya,... wash it for ya..."

"Not today, okay? You just enjoy lounging around in bed for a while. If we shower together I might be late and I don't want to give my father more ammunition. You relax, I'll get you your breakfast." She quickly got out of bed and went to the kitchen to make him a cup of coffee. She came back just two minutes later with the steaming mug and his pack of smokes and lighter in her hands. "Here you go. Enjoy. I might be like half an hour."

"Fine." his mood was already darkening again. That weird feeling, that something was up, was back again. He drank his coffee and had his smoke, but he wasn't able to enjoy it. "Fuck this." he muttered to himself and got out of bed and kicked off his boxers that had hung loosely around the middle of his thighs. He needed a shower too and he didn't see why they wouldn't be able to take it together, even if she did have to wash her hair, which was a bullshit excuse in his book anyway. He walked into the bathroom and took a quick piss before he walked over to the shower stall. Teddy hadn't even noticed that he was in the bathroom, the sound of the water drowned out everything else, so she almost jumped as high as the ceiling in shock, when she felt Daryl's hands on her waist.

"Jeeesus, Daryl! You almost gave me a heart attack." she gasped and turned around, facing him now, to rinse the shampoo from her long hair.

"Sorry." he didn't sound sorry at all though as his intense blue gaze took in her naked, wet body.

"Daryl..." she said when she saw the look he was giving her and it sounded like warning. "We don't have time for this."

"Yeah we do, it's early."

"No we don't. I got stuff to do. Seriously. I gotta put conditioner in and I need to shave and I need to dry my hair and that alone takes quite some time..."

"Woman, I just felt yer legs five minutes ago. Ain't no need fer shaving. Ain't nothin but a fucking tiny stubble. Whaddaya wanna do? Shave off the first skin layer? Chill the fuck out. Don't need perfect. Don't want fucking perfect, alright?" he said while he stepped closer and let his hands glide over her curves.

"I appreciate it, Daryl, but please let me do my thing. Here, wash up while I take care of my hair." she pushed a bottle of body wash into his hands and then grabbed the conditioner for her hair and went ahead and put it into her hair while he stared hard at her for a moment with narrowed eyes. She was turning him down again. What the fuck was wrong with her? Looks like they needed that talk after all, but not right now, not before work.

"Fine. Have it yer fucking way." he grumbled while he squirted the body wash into his hand and quickly washed himself. When he was done he got out and grabbed a towel to dry himself off. "You gonna be home right after work tonight?" he asked while he was rubbing down his arms.

"Yes, I guess I'll be home by five-thirty."

"Alright, I'll be here around five-thirty, then. Gonna get outta here now. Gotta go home and get clothes. Yer busy anyway with yer hair and shit..."

"Okay. Want me to get something to eat from one of the restaurants?"

"Nah, I'll cook. Can't order shit every night, woman. Now c'mere." He waved her closer with two fingers and Teddy stuck her head out of the shower to get a goodbye kiss.

"See you tonight." she smiled happily and Daryl took one last longing look at her naked body before he left.

"Yeah. See ya."

####### ###### ####### ####### ###### ####### ######

He felt like shit when he entered his tiny, ratty apartment he used to share with Merle. It really was amazing how fast people could get used to nice things as opposed to how long it took them to get adjusted to shitty situations. Being with Teddy in her nice apartment almost made him feel like he was a whole new person, but being back here, he quickly realized that he was just the same old Daryl Dixon and he didn't like it. If it were up to him, Teddy would just need to say the word and he would leave this shit-hole behind without thinking twice about it. The only things he would take would be his clothes and his hunting gear, everything else didn't matter to him, there was nothing of value. Also he hated being alone. It had been nice to be a whole day without Merle, but during the second day he'd already felt himself getting anxious, bored and lonely. He might be a loner, but he was a loner that needed people around, as weird as that sounded. He was getting used to being with Teddy all the time when he wasn't at work and even spending an hour alone in his apartment by himself was almost too much to bear.

He went to his bedroom and got out a clean pair of underwear and a clean t-shirt and got changed. He pondered whether he should get his duffel bag and put a change of clothes in there to take over to Teddy's later. He really didn't want to spend any more time in his own apartment than he had to and this way he would save himself the trip of getting clean clothes every morning. On the other hand it would look kind of presumptuous to just take a bag with clothes over there. Maybe he should ask first, but then again he'd feel stupid for asking. He could just leave it in the truck and in case he spent the night again he would just go down and grab it real quick. That wouldn't look too bad, right?

"Right." he decided and got on his knees in front of his bed and pulled the duffel bag out from underneath and put it on his bed. He tossed a couple pairs of boxer shorts in there, as well as socks a pair of pants and a couple of t-shirts.

"Toothbrush." he muttered after having ventured into his bathroom to brush his teeth. "Nah, I'll just get a new one at the store later." That reminded him that he had forgotten to ask her about her dislikes where food was concerned. He didn't wanna end up making something she didn't like. When he had brushed his teeth he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and sent her a text.

To: Doc

Anything you don't like? Food I mean.

He pressed send and stuffed the phone back into his pocket and grabbed his bag. It was time for him to go to work and he didn't want to come back here after to get his bag. He would just take his time with shopping and then wait in front of her apartment until she showed up. He went to work and during his lunch break he read the message Teddy had sent him during the morning.

From: Doc

I don't like:

Eggplant

Asparagus

Zucchini

Caraway

Rutabaga

Fish (only if it still has those nasty bones that get stuck in my throat, otherwise I like it)

Rice

Turkey

Cabbage

Oranges

Plums

Arugula

Collard Greens

Green Olives (Love black olives, allergic to olive oil for whatever reason)

Pumpkin

Peanut Butter

Mustard

Kale

Coconut

Artichoke

Caper

Lentil

Okra

Tofu

Celeriac

Fennel

Peaches

Apricots

Pineapple

Pretty much every fruit except for apples, strawberries and cherries

Not big on pasta, but it's okay every once in a while

Anything that's been marinated

Buttermilk

Dark chocolate

Hazelnuts

I think that's everything for now. If I come up with anything else I'll let you know.

Xoxo Teddy

Daryl was at a loss as he scrolled further and further down. Was she kidding? Maybe he should have asked what she actually liked, that list had to be a whole lot shorter than this. What in the world did she eat every day? The same stuff over and over again?

"You okay?" Billy asked when he noticed Daryl's frown and the incredulous shake of his head.

"Your sister a picky eater by any chance?" Daryl asked darkly and Billy scoffed out a laugh.

"You have no idea. She's not only a horrible cook, she is also horrible to cook for if you don't know her. There's a ton she doesn't like.

"Probably why she's such a shitty cook. Doesn't know how it's s'pposed ta taste. So what the fuck does she like?"

"You taking over the kitchen?" Billy asked, trying to keep the smirk out of his face.

"Yeah."

"Smart move, brother. Smart move. Let's see, she likes chicken, she likes steaks with potatoes and sour cream or with roasted potatoes and onions. When you wanna do vegetables broccoli and cauliflower is the way to go. Or carrots and peas. Sometimes she eats the most disgusting things. One of her favorites is a burger , just the bun and the patty topped with a lot of blue cheese. Disgusting. She also loves BBQ sauce. She likes basic things, meat, veggies and potatoes, nothing frilly really and she really doesn't mind eating some things over and over again. Just go with steak. Oh, she loves salmon, but you gotta make really sure that it's boneless. When we was little she got a fish bone stuck in her throat and it really tore her up, she was coughing blood and everything, so she won't go near anything that's not boneless. That goes for everything, really. She loves chicken, but she hates chicken wings, because of the bones."

"Jesus." Daryl sighed deeply. Getting her used to the haute cuisine the woods had to offer would certainly be a challenge. Good thing he didn't back down from challenges. "At least it's something ta go on. Thanks, man."

"Anytime. I'm here for you, man. I'm a walking and talking handbook on Teddy 101. Whatever you need, I'm your guy." Billy offered with a wink and got a nod of gratitude in return.

Daryl started biting his lip. There were so many questions he had, but they were the kind he couldn't ask her brother of all people. Billy would have his balls on a silver platter if he'd ask any sex-related questions.

"What is it?" Billy asked smilingly when he noticed the turmoil within Daryl.

"Nothin'. Forget it."

"Sure? I won't tell her you asked..." Billy coaxed him. Daryl knew for sure that he'd never ask Billy about sex stuff, but there was one thing he could ask that might give him a clue as to what was going on with Teddy.

"She uhm... she said she had a shitty boyfriend once? Said she knew the difference between an accident and getting hurt on purpose?"

"Oh yeah... Josh. Real jerk. Went to Seattle and smashed his face in once. Why you askin' about him?"

"Dunno. Just wondered... something bad happen with him?"

"He definitely had mental problems. Got upset over everything and slapped her around, gave her bruises. She fought back every time, got some good hits in, but he was a huge guy, he was just stronger. She broke up with him the first time it ever happened, but he kept following her around until she got a restraining order. Took forever to get that, they just like to wait until somebody gets killed. I went there and stayed with her for a week, took her everywhere she needed to go until that whole thing was taken care of. She had a huge shiner after he'd waited for her in front of her building. When I saw that I saw red. When he followed us and she told me it was him I went Rambo on that guy, didn't care that he was as tall as a skyscraper, he was on the ground faster than he could blink. Asshole."

"He ever do anything else?"

"Like what?" Billy frowned at Daryl, not sure what he meant.

"Nothing, forget I asked. Gotta get back to work. Break's over." Daryl quickly left the break room before Billy could ask any more questions. Obviously the ex wasn't the problem with the whole sex stuff. It was a stupid road to go down anyway. Teddy didn't seem to have a problem with having sex in general, she was just being weird when it came to him returning sexual favors. Looked like he really wasn't getting out of that talk and he did not look forward to that.

He was done with work just a couple of hours later and drove down to the local Walmart to get things for dinner and a new toothbrush to keep at Teddy's. He also got some snacks and chocolate, Teddy didn't have that stuff around and Daryl kinda liked to have something to snack on during TV time. A six-pack of his favorite beer completed his shopping cart and then he was off to pay for his stuff. It wasn't even five when he parked in front of Teddy's apartment building and he was surprised to see her get out of her car just when he pulled into the parking spot.

"Hey, yer home early." he greeted her when she came over to his truck.

"Yeah... finished early." she smiled and rubbed his bare arm gently and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. She looked past him into the truck when he grabbed the shopping bags and smiled when she saw the duffel bag. "Brought some clothes?"

Daryl straightened abruptly, a faint blush appearing on his cheeks. He hadn't meant for her to see the bag. "Yeah..."

"Good idea. I wanted to tell you this morning to bring some, but I forgot about it."

"Bought a toothbrush, too." he said, not even knowing why, it didn't really matter.

"Good thinking, baby. Gimme those bags, you don't have to carry everything." she smiled and held out her hands.

"It's fine, I don't mind. Go ahead, open the door." he nodded towards the front door while he grabbed all the bags himself.

"Alright." Teddy didn't see the need to argue over a couple of shopping bags. It was his way of being a gentleman.

Daryl took everything into her kitchen and had her show him where she kept her knives and bowls and other cooking utensils.

"What are you making?" Teddy asked while she snooped through the bags curiously.

"Chicken breasts with broccoli and mashed potatoes. Nothing big."

"Sounds good. Mind if I get changed? I can put your clothes in my closet while I'm at it if you'd like."

"Sure." he shrugged nonchalantly, but on the inside he felt giddy that she would even want his stuff mixed in with hers.

"Good. I'll be right back." They shared a sweet, little kiss before Teddy grabbed his duffel bag and the toothbrush and took it with her into the bedroom. She took off her work clothes and changed into her favorite hot pants and her old Batman t-shirt, then she rearranged some things in her closet to make room for Daryl's clothes. She put his socks and underwear in a drawer next to hers and then his new toothbrush found its new place next to hers in the bathroom. When everything was done she padded back into the kitchen on bare feet. She stopped in the doorway and watched him with a big grin on her face. He was moving the pan around on the stove and taking a sip from his beer bottle at the same time.

"Now that's a sight I could get used to." she smiled at Daryl when he looked over his shoulder. "A hot, sexy guy standing in my kitchen and cooking for me."

"Gonna have ta, if we don't wanna starve." he chuckled.

"We wouldn't be starving, we just wouldn't be eating anything good." she corrected him while she walked over and wrapped her arms around him. "Can I watch."

"Too late for that, woman. All it's gotta do now is cook and boil while we wait."

"Oh, okay. Well, I was productive, too. Your pants and shirts are in my closet, your socks and boxers in my underwear drawer and your toothbrush is in the bathroom. No more early morning trips to your apartment when you could have breakfast with me."

"Sounds good. Wanna beer?"

"Sure, why not. How was work today?" she asked, while he opened a bottle of beer for her.

"Good, I guess. Same old. How 'bout you?"

"Same."

"Yer daddy still ain't talking to ya?"

"Nope. But I try to see the positive side of things. I have a lot of free time now instead of doing stupid artwork projects."

"Guess that is positive."

"It is, because I get to spend it with you." She smiled and buried her nose in his chest. "Shit, I love the way you smell after work."

"What?" he looked at her surprised. He was sweaty and probably reeked of motor oil and grease and all that stuff.

"I love it. It's so masculine, like getting hit with a testosterone sledgehammer, but in a good way."

"You're crazy."

"You said that before." she said grinning.

"Yeah, I meant it." he grinned right back and lowered his head to kiss her on the lips with a loud smacking noise.

About twenty minutes later they sat down at her kitchen table and ate in companionable silence. The only exception being made when Teddy complimented him on the food. It was simple, but it really was delicious and the fact that Daryl had made it for her made it taste even better.

"This was really good. Thank you, honey." She leaned down and kissed him after having gotten up to clear the table.

"No problem." he smiled and watched her walk over to the sink in those damn tiny shorts of hers. "Ready for dessert?"

"Uh, there's dessert? What are we gonna have?" she asked while she rinsed their plates and didn't notice when he stepped up behind her.

"I dunno bout you,... but I'm gonna have a bit'a this." he murmured into her ear while his hand slipped inside the front of her shorts, gently stroking over her curls before moving lower to slide his fingertips over her slit.

Teddy gasped, her eyelids fluttering. "Or we could just go out for a walk and get some ice-cream."

"Ya wanna go out and get ice-cream instead of getting this?" he asked and pressed his fingers against her clit for emphasis. His temper started to flare at her trying to turn him down again. "Why?"

"You had a long day. You worked and you went shopping and you cooked for us,... I don't want you to feel obligated to do that for me."

"That's your excuse right now. What about this morning? Oh right, ya wanted ta wash yer hair and shave what didn't need shavin' at fucking all. What about Tuesday night?" he asked angrily.

"What about Tuesday night? We had sex that night, so what about it?"

"Something's goin' on here and yer gon' tell me what, 'cause I can't figure it out! You have no problem fucking me or doin' stuff ta me, but as soon as I wanna do it fer you, you fucking make up excuses or distract me. What's up with that?"

"It's like I said. I don't want you to feel obligated to reciprocate. I love doing it for you, I wanna make you happy. I know guys don't really like reciprocating anyway and especially not with me, so it's cool..."

"Not with you? Now what the fuck is that s'pposed ta mean, huh?"

"I have a hard time getting an orgasm, okay? It takes forever, I guess I might have a bit of a control issue or something, but the fact is, it's not easy and guys got tired of it and most of the time everything just went downhill from there on out and I don't want the same happening with you." she explained and watched his expression change. She really didn't know what to make of it, though.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" he narrowed his eyes at her. "That's it?"

"Uhm,... y-yeah?" she really didn't know how to read his expression right now.

"You for real here? That's the whole fucking problem? That's why ya acted weird?" Daryl shook his head and stemmed his hands against his hips. "Woman... I could just fucking shake ya right now... You got any idea what kinda shit went through ma head?" he started pacing back and forth in front of her, throwing his arms up in the air in exasperation. "For fucks sakes! Ya have a hard time cummin'? That's fucking it? So what? That ain't even a problem! Jesus Christ, what is wrong with ya? I thought something was seriously fucked up here!"

"I'm sorry. I should have just told you right from the start, but I don't know, I guess I lost myself a little bit there, because I wanted to do everything to make you happy and I didn't want things to turn to shit too soon. I overthink things and can't let go, I guess and I didn't want you to think that I wasn't trusting you enough to, well, just let go... Sex has never been that good for me, but I still appreciate it for what it is and-"

"Hold on! Ya sayin' the sex we had ain't been any good for ya? So ya fuckin' lied? 'Cause ya said ya liked it!" he looked at her suspiciously, his voice getting dangerously quiet.

"No, I did not lie to you. I did like it a lot. That's why it's so different with you. I like what we do and to be honest, I feel a little weird about it." she admitted carefully, knowing that it had to sound horrible to his ears. She watched him rub his face hard in his hands before he pointed over to the chair at the kitchen table.

"Sit. This might take a while, I reckon." He took several deep breaths to calm himself. It took a lot for him not to explode and unleash his anger, that was caused by the whole confusion. He grabbed another beer from the fridge before he sat down himself.

"And what the fuck do ya mean by that? Fucking me is weird, now? The hell, Doc?" Daryl felt his control slipping and Teddy raised her hands in a defensive manner.

"Please, I don't mean it like that. I know it sounds horrible. Let me try to explain. I've told you a couple of times before that I never liked the whole 'rough sex' thing. I didn't like my partners going there at all, because it always felt like it was just an act, like they overdid it, you know? I don't really know why I have a hard time getting off. Maybe I was afraid to loose control and... give myself over, whatever you wanna call it, maybe I didn't want to give up control over my body. I just can't explain everything, because even I don't know everything that's going on in my head where that stuff is concerned, but I'm trying here." Teddy was completely red in the face, this was a talk that didn't come easy to her at all and she stopped for a moment to try to find the right words. Daryl staring at her like he was steaming mad wasn't helping her thought process.

"Jesus, I don't know how to say it. How to explain it in a good way. Do you remember when we did it in the woods? At the end, when you had your hand around my throat?" Teddy looked at him carefully, her face turning an even darker shade of red.

"Yeah."

"When you did that, I wasn't scared or panicked or anything. I liked it. God how do I describe this?" Teddy got frustrated because she didn't know how to put it in words what she felt that night. She startled herself when she suddenly got emotional and tears sprung to her eyes when she recalled that moment. Daryl's eyes widened and his tense posture relaxed when he saw her tearing up and he reached over to grab her hands.

"Babe,..."

"I'm sorry,... I'm sorry. It was just really intense and this is gonna sound so goddamn cheesy, but... when you did that, I felt at home. I felt warm and protected. I felt so small, but in a really good way. I felt like you were gonna take care of me, you know? I felt incredibly content and happy. Satisfied, like a cat that's purring while it's rolling around in the sunshine. I know that sounds stupid and what I'm about to say will sound even more stupid and I'm sorry for going there, I know men are not into that bullshit, but it's the only words that come to mind. Thinking about somebody else putting their hands on my throat, that frightens me to death, but when you did that, I seriously felt like a missing piece of that mess of a puzzle that is me, has finally slipped home. I never ever wanted you to let go. The same goes for the rest. The rough sex, the bits of pain here and there. I enjoy it, I enjoy feeling you that way and... it weirds me out, because I keep thinking that I am not supposed to enjoy that. I'm not supposed to like a guy going all alpha male on me and bite me and all that stuff, right?" Teddy's tears had run down her cheeks by now and she looked at him with a look of confusion and desperation that broke his heart.

"Who says ya ain't s'pposed ta like that? Ya like what ya like, ain't nothing wrong about it. Wanna know what I think? You have no clue what ya like in bed. Yer startin' ta figure it out now, but before we fucked, ya didn't have an inkling about what the fuck would get ya off right. Ya thought ya didn't like rough, but darlin' you do. Ya like a bit of pain ta go with yer pleasure. Probably always wanted it that way. Ya only started getting loud'n wet when I started bitin' on ya, so what? Millions of other chicks sure do too. But like ya said, the guys ya dated before didn't give it ta you right. Not the way ya wanted and needed it. And now yer scared because everything ya thought to be true about yer sex life got turned upside down." It suddenly all made sense in Daryl's head and he would be lying if he said that the whole thing didn't give him a huge ego and confidence boost. He was the one she needed and who would be able to give her what she secretly craved. For once there was no doubt in his mind, she had described it perfectly. He was her missing piece and vice versa. That's exactly how he had felt that morning when he'd fucked her on the table and it had scared him shitless. He got where she was coming from.

Teddy stared at him in surprise. Not only was he right, but it also had to be the most he'd ever talked to her in one go. She soon realized that she was just staring at him and quickly wiped away her tears and cleared her throat. "I think you might be very right about that."

"Damn right, I am. You were right, too. I'm gon' take care'a ya. No more of that overthinking. No more worryin' bout what you're s'pposed ta like." Daryl tugged on her hands and made her get up. He pulled her down to sit sideways on his lap and kissed her deeply. "When we fuck, I'll do the thinking. You just lay back and lemme take care'a ya, understood? I wanna make ya feel good and if it takes a goddamn hour of eatin' you out to make ya cum, I'll fuckin eat ya out for an hour. Don't want you thinking bout that shit. You seriously think I won't enjoy that?"

Teddy shrugged shyly. "Nobody else ever did."

"Think we accomplished that this thing with us is different, right? I ain't like those fuckers, ya know that. They didn't stand a chance anyway." Daryl started grinning. "Bet it won't take me long ta get ya there. Got ya goin' in no time the last time we did it. Until ya distracted me. Which reminds me, no more of that bullshit. Got it? Ya wanna make me happy? Then let me make ya happy in return and that's the last Imma say bout this."

"Okay. Got it." She kissed him hard, until a giggle erupted from her mouth. "You know, you can be quite the chatty Cathy, who knew?

"Had ta make a point. Don't want ya ashamed, cause ya like it kinky."

"Daryl!" Teddy laughed and hid her blushing face in the crook of his neck.

"Cut it out, woman. I like it kinky, too. We match perfectly." he smiled and pulled on her hair to get her to face him again.

"You're right. Match made in kinky heaven." she giggled.

"Exactly. That's why we're gonna have dessert now. And it ain't gon' be no fucking ice cream."

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She was naked on her bed faster than she could blink. Daryl was a man on a mission and this time he wouldn't be stopped by anything or anyone. Daryl stood in front of the bed and undressed himself, just keeping his boxers on while his eyes swept along her naked curves. He crawled up on the bed on all fours until he was towering over her lithe form.

"Ya can touch my head, but nothing else. Got it? This is MY playtime now. Better put them above yer head." he murmured in a low voice against her skin while he nuzzled her cheek. Teddy obediently lifted her arms and rested her hands underneath her head.

"Good girl." Daryl rasped with a crooked grin that would have made Teddy go weak in the knees had she stood upright. He proceeded to trails his lips down her body, alternating between licking thin, wet stripes with the tip of his tongue, pressing hot, sensual open-mouthed kisses against her skin with his soft lips and giving her a few sharp nips with his teeth here and there. He paused to lavish attention upon her wonderful tits. Letting the weight fill his palm, caressing them gently with his fingers while his teeth tugged on her hardened nipples. Teddy's hands came down, her fingers threading into his hair to press him against her firmly.

"Remember, girl... head only." he warned before he switched over to her left breast to repeat his ministrations her other tit had received previously. Soon he continued on his downward descent to his true destination and Teddy spread her legs to accommodate him. She yelped when he unexpectedly bit into the soft flesh of her inner thigh, his stubble rubbing ever so lightly against her core.

"Holy shit..." she moaned when he started sucking, the movement of his jaw creating just a little bit of friction against the soft skin of her pussy lips. Daryl continued until he felt her hips starting to move and she was squirming against him, trying to press him against her harder. Only then did he move his lips towards her center until his face was level with the object of his desire. Teddy's first instinct was to clamp her legs shut when he looked at her openly, but Daryl quickly looped his arms around her thighs and stopped her from doing so.

"No you don't." he said firmly, but his voice was soft and laced with lust. "Fucking beautiful." he groaned quietly and rubbed the tip of his nose through her trimmed, dark curls, a deep growl escaping him. Her scent pushed the animal inside of him back to the front and he gripped her legs tightly, like that would help him hold on to his control. His tongue darted out of his mouth and he pressed it flat against her slit and traced it from bottom to the top in one long stroke with a loud groan. It made Teddy shiver hard from lust, arousal was spreading through every fiber of her being. He let her feel that he really wanted to do this, that he was actually turned on by doing it and it not only made her wet, it made her relax as well. It had been forever since anyone had done this for her, it must have been about six or seven years, if not longer and she had forgotten how good it felt.

"Oh God, Daryl..." Pretty much all thoughts were wiped from her head when his tongue found her clit. It felt crazy good when he gave it little licks with just the tip of his tongue, her hips bucked up against his mouth uncontrollably with every little touch. Daryl chuckled against her and let her move against him for a moment, while he played around with her, but as soon as her movements became more erratic he pressed his big, strong hand down on her abdomen and held her in place. Two of his fingers sought out her opening and thrust in deeply once they'd found it and his lips closed around her swollen, little bundle of nerves. Teddy moaned his name and arched her back, her fingers were tugging hard at his hair, making him growl against her. He suckled on her clit, letting his tongue trace little lines and circles, his fingers thrusting and twisting rhythmically, already feeling her fluttering a little around them. His hand on her abdomen slid up her body and cradled her right breast, pinching her nipple hard between thumb and forefinger, grinning a little around her when he felt her jerk and clamp down on his fingers harder.

"Yes baby, so good. Don't stop." she moaned and gripped his hair even tighter in his hands and ground herself against his face now that she was free to do so again. Daryl had no intention of stopping, he kept going and going. He knew she had to be close, he could feel it, but she just didn't go over, like there was an invisible barrier.

"Don't think!" he warned after taking his mouth off of her. "Yer holdin' it in. I can feel it, girl."

"I'm trying, baby." she panted and opened her eyes to look at him when she felt him kneel.

"Yer not supposed ta try, jus' feel and let go. C'mon, turn around and get on yer knees." Teddy moved on all fours with Daryl kneeling behind her and gripping her hips, roughly pulling her back against him. He pressed his hard cock inside of her, deeper and deeper until her ass was snugly nestled against his groin. He didn't give her time to adjust, he started pounding her hard right away, not able to stop himself from doing it. His right hand reached around her, picking up where his tongue had left off, rubbing her clit in tight little circles, making her chant his name like a prayer. When he felt her being close again his left hand shot out, his fingers wrapping around the front of her throat, like he'd done in the woods, and pulled her up til his lips were pressed against her ear.

"Feel that?" he asked while his breath came out of him in shallow pants. He applied just a little bit of pressure to her throat for emphasis, before he went back to just holding it in his hand. "I got ya, girl. I'm taking care of ya. Just. Let. Go." he growled and emphasized his last words with deep, hard thrusts and then he felt it. Teddy suddenly stilled completely, her breath hitching in her throat and then her body came undone. She clawed at his arms desperately, leaving thick red welts on his skin as her orgasm tore through her. The first one she hadn't been responsible for herself in ages. Her hips stuttered and jerked against him, her muscles clenching around him rhythmically with an iron grip, while she whimpered out her release.

"Fuck, Doc. That's ma girl..." he groaned, his eyes slamming shut when his balls drew up. Just a couple thrusts more was all he needed to reach the point of no return himself, spilling himself inside her, his groans muffled against her shoulder. Teddy sank back against him weakly a moment later, spent from her climax. Daryl withdrew his hand from between her legs and wrapped that arm around her midsection instead, holding her tightly. He kissed along her shoulder and up to her ear. "Good girl,... such a good girl." he murmured into it while his breathing slowed back to normal.

They soon fell down onto the mattress in a spooning position. Daryl maneuvered the covers over their cooling bodies and kept kissing her shoulder gently.

"You did it." he grinned against her skin quietly.

"No, YOU did it." she giggled.

"Told ya I could do it." yeah, he was being a bit cocky, but he deserved it. He was incredibly proud, the grin he was wearing was almost splitting his face in half.

"You did. It was amazing." she muttered, her speech becoming a bit slurred from being lulled into sleep.

"It was. Tired already?"

"Hell yeah. My body isn't used to this anymore."

"It will be again soon. Promise."

"I believe you." She smiled. It was still pretty early, but she felt herself fading into sleep fast. "I'm so tired. I'm sorry. Good night, my love." she muttered sleepily.

"It's okay. Sleep tight." he pressed another kiss against the naked skin of her shoulder before he rolled on his back so that they were in their usual position, but this time he kept his hand on her butt, rubbing it gently until he fell asleep himself.

####### ####### ####### ###### ####### #######

The next week went by in a blur. They went to work, then they went home, Daryl cooked for them most of the time, then they sometimes went for a walk to get some ice-cream or they went grocery shopping and the remaining time they pretty much screwed their brains out, like every other new couple. It was Friday and Teddy was looking forward to the weekend. Daryl wanted to take her out to the woods and teach her how to shoot a gun, then they would hunt something for dinner and he would show her how to skin and gut whatever they'd be able to get. He was sure she would have no problem picking up that skill, she had seen worse in the operating room at the hospital during her training.

It was almost six when her last patient had left. Only her and Judy were still in the offices and Teddy was just finishing up on some paperwork when Judy came in.

"I'm about to head out. Here, your father wanted me to give this to you." Judy handed Teddy a white envelope.

"Oh okay, thanks. Have a nice weekend, Judy."

"You, too. See you on Monday, bright and early." Judy gave a little wave and left. Teddy put the envelope aside for a moment so she could finish with the notes she was writing down in one of the patient files. After a couple of minutes she was done and she put it on top of the stack of files sitting on her desk. She grabbed the envelope from her father and tore it open unceremoniously. She had never been big on letter openers. She took out the letter and unfolded it and started reading.

"This letter confirms your dismissal from Robertson Family Doctors for poor performance, effective immediately..."

Teddy's mouth dropped open in shock as she re-read the line and she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Son of a bitch! He's firing me."

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AN: Thank you so much for your support my lovely readers! You amaze me, I am humbled by your response to my little story. Hope you enjoy this chapter and it will start your weekend out right:)


	12. Chapter 12

**Another stretch of rocky road ahead... hang in there:) And also, I am seriously scared of tonights episode! I'm not scared for Daryl, but for everybody else and what it might do to Daryl. Damn me for reading spoilers:( Now enjoy!**

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Chapter 12

Teddy stared at the letter for what felt like an hour. She read it about five times before she grabbed her cell phone and called her brother.

"Billy, you are not gonna believe this!"

"You're pregnant and eloping?" Billy deadpanned, making Teddy scoff.

"Far from it. No, I just got a letter from our lovely father, telling me that I've been dismissed from the practice for poor performance. Effective immediately."

"WHAAAAAT?" Billy's voice was weirdly high-pitched and Teddy cringed a little at his outburst. "He can't do that! That's illegal."

"I know! What in the world is he thinking?"

"I tell you what he's thinking. He thinks if he makes you choose between Daryl and your job, that you're gonna choose your job. That's all this is. He's forcing you to make a decision."

"Well, I ain't making no decision, that's for damn sure!" Teddy grumbled and started frowning when Billy laughed out loud.

"Shit, Teddy. Already picked up Dixon-talk, did you? Man, I'd love to see the look on Mom's face when she hears you talk like that."

"Won't happen. Especially not now."

"What are you gonna do?"

"I will go home to my wonderful boyfriend and have a nice weekend with him and on Monday I will get myself a lawyer to represent me in my wrongful termination lawsuit against my own father." Teddy explained her plans casually, like she was talking about the weather.

"Teddy, come on. Really? You wanna sue? We're still family, there's gotta be another way to resolve this." Billy tried to reason with her, but Teddy had made up her mind.

"Billy, he started this. He is firing me for dating Daryl. That's discrimination and it's illegal. He shot first and I won't stand here and take it just like that, only because he is family. He doesn't care about me being family. Mom doesn't care about me being family the moment she opens her mouth and talks shit about me to strangers. They want war? They got one."

"Man that's gonna be one fucked up Easter this year." Billy groaned.

"That's all you can think about right now? For real? Well okay, I gotta get going, just wanted to let you know what's going on. Have a nice weekend." Teddy hung up, now pissed at her parents AND at her brother. He always put on a tough guy act, much like Daryl, but he was always striving for harmony. In this case it just wasn't possible though. Teddy stuffed the letter into her purse and finished up for the day... or possibly forever, and went home. She was confused when she found Daryl sitting on the floor in front of her apartment.

"Babe? What are you doing? Why aren't you using your key?" she asked with a frown while she walked up to him.

"Left it in there." he motioned to the door with his head and got up from the floor. "Hey." he greeted her with a little kiss when she was in front of him.

"Hey. Why did we have a key made if you forget to take it with you? You're gonna put it on your keyring right the fuck now!" it came out harsher than she had meant to say it and it didn't go unnoticed.

"The hell crawled up yer ass and died? Bad day at work, huh?" he studied her while she unlocked the door.

"More like my last day at work." she muttered and opened the door and stepped inside.

"What?" Daryl wasn't sure he heard right. "Whaddaya mean last day?" he asked while he followed her into the kitchen where she dumped her purse on the kitchen counter and dug out a letter, handing it to him before she got herself a glass and a bottle of wine. Daryl unfolded the letter, his eyes widening while he read.

"He fucking fired ya? Ain't no way he's allowed ta do that. Poor performance... bullshit."

"You think?" she spat, immediately feeling sorry for it. She did not want to make him feel like he was to blame for this. "Geez, I'm in bitch mode. Sorry, baby."

"Nah. Yer right to bitch at me. This one's all on me. He fired ya because'a me." Daryl's face expressed so much guilt that Teddy wanted to cry.

"Don't you dare go there, Daryl. He is firing me because he is a major jackass. Poor performance,... maybe if his lovely wife had kept her mouth shut, I wouldn't have lost any patients or not all that much. Asshole." Teddy muttered and took a big gulp of red wine.

"Ya lost patients? The fuck...? You didn't tell me that!" Daryl's mind was spinning. He really did ruin everything he touched. He was a Dixon through and through. He was ruining Teddy's life, her reputation, her career, all because he had selfishly allowed himself happiness by getting to know her and developing feelings for her. "That's why ya been home early some days."

"Yeah. Idiots, they're all fucking stuck-up idiots. And my mother telling those people that Seattle's grunge folk have screwed up my mind certainly didn't help matters."

"I ain't helpin' matters neither."

"Stop, Daryl. Just don't go there, okay? That's why I didn't tell you about losing patients, because I knew you would blame yourself and I don't want that. I don't care about them. They are stupid, stupid people if they think I can't treat them right just because I date a wonderful guy with a fucked up family. They are just judgmental assholes, I don't care about them. Good riddance."

"It ain't just them, though. It's yer whole fucking career."

"So? I'll find another job, Daryl. And just so you know, I care way more about you than about working for my father, alright? He is trying to blackmail me by doing this, but he's got another thing coming. You are the best thing that happened to me in a long, long time. Maybe even the best thing that EVER happened to me. Don't think I'll let you go just because he forces me to look for another job. So please stop looking at me like a puppy dog that just shredded my favorite pair of heels, because this is not on you. Got it?" She had crossed the space between them and kissed him hard. Daryl wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned into her. He was conflicted. On the one hand he was so goddamn happy about what she had said and on the other hand he felt guilty and like he didn't deserve what she had said. The best thing to maybe ever happen to her? She must have had the mother of shitty lives then, because all he was doing was wrecking everything. He knew that was exactly what he was doing, even though she didn't see it that way.

"What now?" He asked after a moment of silently holding each other.

"I'll contact a lawyer on Monday and I guess for the time being I'll have to look for another job."

"Where?"

"Guess I'll drive over to the Piedmont hospital and ask if they have any openings and if they don't I'll have to find something else. Cashier at Walmart or the gas station. Maybe I'll do some babysitting, like a little daycare or something. Uh, school nurse at the high school maybe."

"And have all those teenage boys droolin' over ya, huh? Poor guys won't be able ta walk without their books in front of their dicks."

"Eeeeeew, Daryl! Those are children!"

"Nah, teenagers. Trust me on that one, girl."

"Well, not much of a difference whether they see me in my old office or in an office at school. Who cares, I don't know what's gonna happen anyway. Can we just forget this shit for two days?"

"Think that's gonna work?" Daryl doubted that they would be able to forget about her own father firing her over her dating choices.

"Sure, this will help." She smiled and waved the bottle of wine around.

"Fixin' ta get lit, are ya? Think you'll find the answer to all this shit at the bottom of that bottle?" Daryl kind of understood that she wanted to get drunk and forget, but that didn't mean he was happy about it. Ever since she told him about how she used to get drunk damn near every day as a teen, seeing her have more than one drink worried him. He knew how easy it was for somebody to slip into making it a daily habit.

"Not the answer, no. Just a nice way to space out for a couple of hours. Why? What's that look for?"

"Nothin'." Daryl shrugged nonchalantly, but his eyes told a different story when he started chewing his lip.

"Good. Here, you're gonna get wasted with me." she said while she handed him a glass, but Daryl didn't take it.

"No. I won't. I turn into a major bastard when I'm drunk. Like him." he said referring to his old man. That sobered Teddy back up a little and she put both glasses down.

"Sorry. You're right. Getting drunk won't help. It'll just make me feel like shit in the morning."

"Exactly. And ya need ta get to that hospital. Better do it tomorrow instead of Monday. This thing won't pay for itself." Daryl muttered while he waved his arms around, referring to her apartment.

"Shit. I didn't even think about that."

"Yeah, ya ain't low-maintenance, Doc. This apartment, yer car, all yer pretty shoes and dresses... all that beauty shit ya don't even need. Ya spend money on getting yer nails done, hell woman, we got those at birth for fuckin' free. Don't know why the fuck ya can't paint them yourself. Other chicks do, too. Just cause ya got money ya gotta pay somebody ta do it for ya? It's goddamn stupid. Waste of money, but of course ya ain't never had ta worry about not bein' able ta make rent. Well, ya have ta now. How's it feel?" Daryl started talking himself into a rage out of nowhere, startling Teddy and even himself a little. He was aware of his insecurities where their jobs and their vastly different incomes were concerned, he just hadn't been aware of much it was actually bothering him. The more he thought about it, the more he found himself to be relieved about the prospect of her having to take a job that would pay less. It was fucked up of him to think that way, but he couldn't help it. It was like it was coded into his male genes. He was the man, he wanted to be the provider, but in this scenario he would never be with Teddy's salary being much higher than his. It made him feel inadequate and no man likes feeling like that.

"Wow." Teddy looked at him wide-eyed, her mouth hanging open a little in shock. "Pile on, why don't cha? You know what? Guess I'll need this after all." She told him, picking the wine bottle back up and walking into the living room.

"Jackass. Goddamn jackass, gonna ruin everything." Daryl muttered to himself while he rubbed his hands over his face. He took a moment to collect himself before he followed her into the other room. He felt even more like shit when he saw her hastily wipe a tear from her cheek when he entered. She was huddled into "her" corner of the couch, her knees up against her chest, the blanket from the back of the couch covering her legs, her face cuddled into the throw pillows that she had propped up against the back of the couch and the wall, seeking comfort from the inanimate objects since Daryl wasn't the one to give it to her right now.

Daryl sat next to her, he looked at her, but didn't know what to say. Teddy felt him stare at her, but she didn't turn her head to look at him. She took a sip of wine directly from the bottle, then she held it out towards him. Daryl accepted the offer of alcohol this time and took a long swig from the bottle. Teddy took it back from him and took another big sip.

"So..." she started quietly, "not so deep down you still think of me as some kind of rich bitch, yeah?"

"C'mon, Doc. Ya know I didn't mean it."

"Don't call me that. I actually hate it, especially in bed. Works like a cold shower every time." Teddy said softly, but it still sounded very harsh to Daryl's ears.

"Yeah right. Got claw marks on ma back and arms that tell a different story, DOC."

"God, just shut the fuck up. I don't wanna hear another word out of you. You hurt me enough for one day." Teddy had to blink to keep the fresh set of tears from falling.

"I ain't the one who fired ya."

"No, but you're the one who called me names after I told you that you are more important to me than everything I've worked hard for to achieve. After I told you that I'd gladly throw away my family and all my years of school and training if it meant I'd get to stay with you,... Looks like we have completely different ideas about what this thing between us is."

"Never called ya names."

"Maybe not literally, but it was in there. Loud and clear." Teddy let out a bitter laugh. "And this time you didn't even say you were sorry, so to me that means that you did mean it. Every word. Shit, you can't even call me by my name, Daryl. I have to ask myself here, what am I to you? One of your fuck buddies? Just a nice, warm hole for you to bury your cock in? A distraction to keep you company until you get your brother back? Huh? What?"

"Ya ain't in yer right mind, woman. I'm outta here. I ain't dealin' with all this bullshit of yers. Call me when ya find yer brain." Daryl switched on the anger full-force. He had to or else he would be crying right along with her, because he was hurting too damn much on the inside. He had to let her got, he'd been selfish by being with her and it destroyed her life. He was used to things being shitty, but she didn't deserve that. He had to make sure she would go back to her old life and be happy. It wasn't too late for her, she'd just have to go to her Daddy and tell him they'd broken things off and everything would be back to normal for her.

Teddy jumped up from the couch, following him to the door, lunging past him to keep him from opening it. "No, Daryl. Please, don't. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, please don't leave. Don't do this." she wrapped her arms around him tightly and buried her face in his chest, begging him to stay. "This is exactly what they want, Daryl. They want to break us apart, we can't let them win. I don't want to loose you. I can't loose you. Please don't do this."

"Shit, girl..." Daryl muttered, his own tears stinging his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. He was exhausted, he'd never gone through so many different emotions within this short amount of time. Well, yes he had, when all these feelings for her had rushed through him that one Sunday morning, but this was different. This was the mother of all emotional rollercoasters. He slowly wrapped his strong arms around her and hugged her to him as hard as he could. His anger and his resolve to leave her dissipating with the crying and begging Teddy in his arms. He was such a major dick, he didn't even need alcohol to be one.

They stood there hugging the hell out of each other for what seemed like an eternity. Teddy's silent tears were wetting his shirt, but he could care less. They were comforting each other and slowly rebuilt their sanity and strength through their physical contact. Daryl kissed the top of her head and buried his nose in her hair.

"Ya really hate when I call ya Doc?" he eventually asked quietly to test the waters. He was relieved beyond belief when he felt her chuckle reverberate against his hands on her back even before the sound hit his ears.

"I do. It's not very sexy to hear. How would you feel if I'd call you Mechanic all the time?"

"Yeah, 'kay. Ya got a point. Why didn't ya say something sooner?"

"Don't know. Never the right time?"

"Next time, just fucking say it. Hey, and ya ain't no distraction or a warm hole or nothin'. Ya know that, right?"

"I don't know,... I just hope I'm not." she mumbled into his chest, not daring to look up at him.

"Ya ain't. Never was, never will be."

"What about the rich girl thing?" she tensed when she heard and felt him inhale deeply and her heart sank a little. "You meant it."

"Let's sit, c'mon." Daryl pulled out of their embrace and led her back to the living room and to the couch. Before he sat down with her, he grabbed the bottle of wine and took it to the kitchen and poured it in the sink. No more alcohol-fueled arguments today.

"It's weird for me." he started when he was back by her side. "You making more money than me, I mean."

"I understand that. I know men don't like that kind of thing. But you should know by now that I'm not... I don't know,... rubbing it in your face or anything."

"I was being a dick. I didn't mean ta hurt ya, but I did. You're right, ya don't rub it in ma face or nothin', ya don't act like yer better than me, ya don't act like a rich girl. What I said was uncalled for, I'm sorry. It's tough fer me, though, I can't deny that. Maybe it's that alpha male in me,... that's what ya call it, right? I said I was gonna take care of ya, I can do that in most aspects, but I ain't never gon' be able ta take care of ya where money is concerned and that fucking sucks fer me."

"I get it. I do, but this is just the way it is, Daryl. I don't know what's going to happen with my job, but if I get reinstated or get a job at the hospital or in another practice in another town around here, then it's something you will have to learn to deal with. It's just a job, it's just money, Daryl, it doesn't reflect on who's boss in this relationship. It's not like I'm gonna push a hundred dollar bill into your hand and tell you to go and buy yourself something pretty. I won't ever try to emasculate you and that's all I can really say about it, the rest is up to you. It's just money. Just a number on a paycheck, not defining in any way." Teddy's voice sounded extremely tired by the end. When she had woken up this morning next to Daryl, all happy and warm and fuzzy, she hadn't expected for the day to take such a sharp turn. She had never been more tired in her entire life, not even after working two days straight.

"Imma head home, clear ma head." Daryl sighed. His thoughts were too clustered to sort anything out right now. It was like a rocking chair, moving, but not going anywhere.

"You're gonna come back, right? This is just a break for you to think not a break up? Right?" Teddy was a little panicked by the fact that he was still intent on leaving.

"Yeah, jus' ta think." he leaned over slowly, giving her enough time to pull away in case she didn't want to kiss him, but Teddy put her hands on his face and pulled him closer, their lips meeting gently. Teddy had to keep herself from crying and begging again, she felt so needy right now that she hated herself. She didn't want him to go, she wanted to curl up in his arms, watch some bad TV and fall asleep. "I'll be back tomorrow. I promise." he whispered against her lips and kissed her again.

"Okay." she had no choice but to relent. She'd promised him that she would always give him his space and so she would do just that. One more long kiss and he was gone, leaving Teddy to feel incredibly sad and empty.

###### ######## ####### ####### ####### ########

Despite being extremely tired Teddy hadn't slept at all. At six in the morning she dragged herself off the couch and into the bathroom to undress and take a shower. Afterward she made herself a coffee and went to her home office, turning on her computer and updating her resume before printing it out. She did it all on auto-pilot, not really thinking about anything but Daryl. She was scared that he'd call or just text and say that he wouldn't be able to deal with everything and that they should call it quits. The thought alone of that happening made her feel like she was dying a slow and painful death. Teddy had never gotten this attached to anyone in this short amount of time, just another sign to her, that he really was her other half. If he decided that she wasn't his other half he'd been missing all his life, she'd just crumble to the floor and stay there until it was all over. She knew it. She had barely survived losing her son and although it had been years ago, it was a wound that would never ever heal completely. They both meant so damn much to her. Losing Daryl, too would tear that wound open wider and wider until there was absolutely no chance left to ever repair it. Yes, she was in one hell of a dark place that morning and if it wouldn't be unethical she'd prescribe herself a dose of happy pills to get through the day, but unfortunately coffee and sheer willpower would have to do.

Of course the hospital wasn't hiring right now, they were understaffed but budget cuts didn't allow for them to take on anyone new, so Teddy would have to look elsewhere. So she decided to take the 45 minute drive to Marietta, but the hospital there was only hiring registered nurses and physical therapists. After that she drove another half hour to Atlanta and spent hours driving from clinic to clinic and talking to their administrators, but her efforts were in vain. The only good thing that happened was that Daryl called her around 3 pm, asking where the heck she was. He'd been waiting at her apartment for almost two hours. She told him about her unsuccessful job hunt and that she had one last stop to make and that she'd be there in about an hour. They hung up a moment later and Teddy got out of her car and walked up to her last destination before she headed home to Daryl.

Her father was smirking from where he stood on the porch in front of the door. "Theodora. I was wondering when you'd show up."

"We gotta talk." Teddy said with a stony expression on her face.

"Yes, I think you are right. Come on in." He led her into his study and let her sit in front of his desk before he took his seat in his big leather chair behind his huge desk. The polished dark smoked pine wood was glinting almost dangerously in the dim light of the desk lamp. The skies had darkened considerably with the rainstorm that had started brewing and thunder started clapping outside.

'How fitting...' Teddy thought before her father spoke up.

"I assume you are here in regards to my letter?"

"Yup. You do know that what you're doing is illegal, right?"

"I am aware of that, but it's not like we are going to trial. This just served as a wake-up-call for you, Teddy."

"I figured as much."

"And it obviously worked. I'm sure that little digression was fun and exciting for you, but I think you will agree with me that you and that boy never would have had a future together. You are from two different worlds. Completely different. These things just never work out." Gerald Robertson was smiling broadly, very content that his plan had worked. He knew his daughter and he knew threatening her career would steer her back on the right path.

"Ooooh, so you think your dirty little trick worked? No actually it didn't. Not at all. Daryl isn't a fun little digression. It's the real deal."

"Teddy, please. How old are you? 13 again? This is a little crush at most. Don't take it so seriously. You've known that boy how long?" Gerald waved her off, treating her like a dumb little girl.

"You always told us about how you met Mom. How you saw her and just knew that she was the one for you. That in that moment the earth stood still, your heart stopped beating and you stopped breathing when she looked into your eyes and smiled at you for the first time? That you felt like she made your heart explode? I always thought it was a load of sappy bullshit, to be honest. But do you remember the moment you came into my hospital room the day I gave birth? How you and Mom started crying as soon as you stepped foot in that door, just from seeing the little bundle in my arms? How your face hurt from smiling so big when you held him in your arms for the first time, because you were so happy? That is exactly how Daryl makes me feel every single time I see him and I am not about to give that up. For nothing. If that complicates your life and ruins your reputation I am very sorry about that. If you have to fire me to keep your business up and running then you have every right to do so. But do it the right way and don't play childish games. My contract states that you have to give me one week notice for every month you employed me in my first year, so I am entitled to two more weeks of employment and pay. If you really want me out and you want to look for a new doctor who will be able to help you better with the workload, I won't put up a fight and I'll leave after those two weeks, no questions asked. If you wish to continue playing your games, though, I will be contacting a lawyer on Monday and we will go to court and since you have no case here you will be forced to either reinstate me or compensate me for my losses, so not exactly a win/win situation for you."

"You're serious?" Gerald wasn't quite able to believe what he was hearing and he wasn't sure if maybe Teddy wasn't the one playing games now.

"Yes. I agree, I have lost patients, I am no longer of as much help to you as I used to be pre-Daryl. It has never been my intention to put your reputation or your business at risk, so if that's what my relationship with Daryl is causing, you are right to let me go. All I ask of you is to go about it the correct way. As your daughter I think you owe me as much. After that, I will be out of your business and your life."

"And all that for that boy? You really choose him over your job? Your life? Us?"

"Yes. He is a better man than you will ever be. He has his flaws and faults, but nobody is perfect. In the end he is the better man. He wins. By a landslide. So the thing you have to be aware of here is that you won't be losing me just as a doctor in your practice, but that you will also be losing me as your daughter. If your reputation at the country club is more important than that, then God bless and good riddance." Teddy stared her father straight in the eyes, not leaving a single doubt in Gerald's mind that she meant every word she said.

"It is your intention to cut all ties with us if we decide to not support you dating that boy?"

"Stop calling him 'that boy'. His name is Daryl, he is 35 years old, he has a steady job, the same job your son has, by the way. He is not much of a talker, but he is smart as a whip and fiercely loyal. He has had a horrible family life, but he has chosen not to step into his father's or brother's footsteps. He doesn't take drugs, he only drinks socially, just like you and me and he's been cooking for me every single day in the past week to make sure that I have something nice to eat instead of stuffing my face with that horrible crap that I make or fast food. He is struggling to make ends meet, he doesn't have a closet full of nice clothes, his truck is falling apart, his apartment is tiny and has rusty pipes, but you wanna know why? Because he is always cleaning up his brother's messes. Yes, he looks wild and unkempt, he has kinda random tattoos, but he is beautiful. He has dreams, wonderful dreams of living in the woods in his own house, but he can't make them come true, because every time he puts money away his brother fucks up again or he steals it to buy drugs and it's all gone and he Daryl is back to square one. He is honest and hard-working, he has a lot going for him, but he is cursed by his stupid last name. That is all people see. It's all they wanna see, because it is so much easier just to judge than to put in the effort to get to know that person, to break through his walls he built to protect himself from mean gossip and hurtful comments. He has a kind and gentle soul. He is shy. He is giving and selfless, but he considers himself to be a nobody because of people like you. He doesn't deserve that. If you can't support your daughter being with a wonderful man who makes her unbelievably happy, then yes, I will cut all ties with you and Mom. No calls, no visits, no parties, no holidays and if I pass you on the street, I'll look the other way."

"I see." Gerald was no longer smiling. He knew now that Teddy was indeed completely serious.

"You have until tomorrow night to decide and let me know what you want to do. We can go to court and have this end very ugly or you do right by me and terminate my employment as agreed upon in my contract or you reconsider and give Daryl a chance and actually try to get to know him before you pass any judgment on him. Ball is in your court." Teddy said and got up. She had said everything she had wanted to say. Now it was up to her father to make up his mind.

"Alright. I will let you know by tomorrow night." he agreed and got up as well. He wanted to walk her to her car, but Teddy was already halfway out of the house before he had even left his study. He watched with a heavy heart as she drove off. He missed talking to her. He felt a hand on his shoulder and reached up to put his on top of it. "Did you hear what she said?" he asked his wife. He had asked her to give him and Teddy privacy when he'd seen her car pull up, but he knew she had stayed within earshot, probably right outside of the door that he hadn't closed.

"Yes, I heard. We'll think about it. Come on, coffee is ready." Bernadette removed her hand from his shoulder and went into their living room, Gerald following after he had closed the front door.

####### ####### ###### ###### ####### ######

When Teddy entered her apartment only a couple of minutes later, she was greeted by a cloud of smoke and the sound of something sizzling in her frying pan. It made her smile. If he was cooking then things couldn't be that bad. She followed the smoke into the kitchen and her stomach clenched hard when she saw him standing in front of the stove in his tight, form-fitting black t-shirt with the sleeves so short that the devil tattoo on the inside of his arm was visible. She walked up to him and wrapped her arms around him from behind, kissing the back of his neck sweetly.

"Hi."

"Hey." he replied and squeezed her hands that were resting on his stomach with one of his much bigger hands, while giving her a little smile over his shoulder.

"What's that?"

"It's about to be seared venison."

"Venison? Never had that."

"First time for everything." he shrugged, not giving Teddy a single hint about what kind of mood he was in. Suddenly he cleared his throat and shot her a little look over his shoulder. "It ain't a good name like Punishment Pancakes, but it's s'pposed ta be Apology Venison."

"That is one hell of a suck-ass name!" Teddy laughed and finally got a kiss when he lifted his arm and tugged her into his side.

"Yeah, but your pancakes taste like ass and this won't so it kinda works out." he smirked.

"Guess it does." she smiled and stroked her hand along his spine.

"Can ya set the table? This is almost done."

"Yeah sure." Teddy went ahead and did what he'd asked and five minutes later she had her first taste of venison. Daryl almost laughed out loud, when he saw her face scrunch up.

"Ya just don't know what's good, woman!"

"Is it supposed to be this bitter?"

"Yeah. Don't like it then, huh?"

"It's okay. It won't be my favorite, but it's still in the okay-category." The taste was unusual to her taste buds and even though not the best she ever had, it wasn't entirely unpleasant.

"Good, cause we're gonna have this a lot once I shoot ma next deer." he smiled and reached out, fork still in his hand, but the prongs facing down towards the table, to wipe a bit of sauce from the corner of her mouth with his thumb.

"Awesome." she mock shuddered, but on the inside she was insanely comforted by his touches.

"Saves money."

"Speaking of... were you able to clear your head? Think some more about last night?"

"Yeah. I was a dick. I'm sorry bout what I said. Look, I ain't gon' lie about it. I am kinda macho about this, I reckon, it is weird ta me that ya make more dough than me, but ya were right bout what ya said. It don't change nothin' between us. Ain't gonna like ya less because of it. Just don't start up any shit when I wanna take ya out, 'kay? I won't go broke by paying for dinner. Jus' let me do that stuff, alright? It's all I ask."

"Okay. No problem. So we're good?"

"Yeah, all good. You accept ma apology?" when she nodded he got up from his chair and leaned over the table to plant a big kiss on her, making her giggle happily. "No luck on the job hunt then?"

"Nope,... but I went to see my father." she saw his eyes snap up at her, then narrow suspiciously.

"Why?"

"Just to talk. Making sure that he knows what he's doing and what consequences there would be. I kind of gave him an ultimatum. He either fire me the right way with two weeks notice if me working there really hurts his business or he will hear from my lawyer. He'll let me know by tomorrow night."

"Think he'll do it the right way?"

"Would be stupid of him to let this go to court since he knows what he's doing is illegal. Well, we'll have to wait and see."

"Hate waiting." he muttered around a mouthful of venison.

"Me, too, but I think we'll find a way or two to pass the time." she winked with a giggle, making Daryl shovel his food into his mouth a lot faster.

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**Thank you so much for reading! Thank you, thank you, thank you to all the followers and favoriters out there. And you lovely reviewers, you really make my day and fuel my passion to write this. Don't ever stop!**

**Dear snowbird and guest, thank you so much for your kind words. I hope everybody else got their PMs:) **


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

His voice floated around her. It was low, gravelly and oozing sex and confidence. So different from the way he carried himself out there in the world with other people around. Different from the way she carried herself out there. He was introverted and quiet. She was outgoing and chatty, but when it was just the two of them, he changed and so did she. He felt safe to let go and be open with her, to unleash his most primal urges, and she felt safe enough to let him guide her and make her explore things she had never known she even wanted to explore.

"Whaddaya want?"

"I want you."

"Whaddaya want me ta do?"

"I want you to put your cock in me."

Daryl growled, his hard member twitching in response to her words. Teddy released a shuddering breath when he grabbed her harder and pulled her closer, her clit grinding more firmly against his shaft in the process.

"That's what ya want?"

Teddy nodded fiercely, her eyes closed and her head thrown back in ecstasy while she moved her hips, rubbing her pussy against his length, desperate for some more of that delicious friction. Teddy struggled against his grip, wanting to put her hands on him and press his dick against her harder, but all she was able to do was keep grinding her pelvis against him. They were sitting on the middle of her bed, Teddy was straddling Daryl's lap, Daryl had his left arm slung around her back, trapping her right arm between her back and his arm, his hand gripping her left forearm tightly behind her back, keeping her restrained, close to his body and her tits pushed up towards his face, all at the same time.

"Answer me!" he said sharply and smacked his free hand down on her ass.

"Yes!" Teddy yelped and jumped a little from the sudden hit. Daryl smirked, a purely masculine smile, when he felt her shudder and wet his balls with her moisture in a little rush. The burst of pain had intensified her pleasure of the friction they were creating. She let her head fall forward against his shoulder, mewling when he gently caressed the stinging spot on her butt with his big warm hand. "Yes, that's what I want."

"Good. I wanna give ya what ya want." he whispered with his lips pressed against her ear. "Think ya waited long enough, hm? You good'n wet for me?" his hand slid from her butt cheek further down between her legs, pressing two fingers against her opening. "Mmmm, good girl." He brought his fingers up and pressed them against her mouth. Teddy parted her lips and let him push his fingers inside so she could lick and suck them clean. Daryl soon replaced his fingers with his tongue, kissing her deeply while he used his hand to position his throbbing erection at her wet orifice. "Down." his voice was strained, a small grunt leaving him when she did as she was told and pushed herself down onto his dick and he felt her tight heat engulfing him. His grip on her arm tightened when she started moving on top of him, gyrating her hips in a maddening rhythm, that made it hard for Daryl to keep his sanity. He bent his head and suckled on her nipple, letting his teeth graze it gently. His free hand moved down to rub her clit, making Teddy shudder and moan, her hips momentarily losing their rhythm.

"Ya like it when I spanked ya?" he groaned against her tit.

"Yes." Teddy breathed, her voice higher than usual.

"Can I spank ya again?"

"Yes, please." Teddy had barely finished saying please when his hand had left her center and came smacking down on her but again. "Oh God, Daryl!" she moaned loudly, clenching her muscles around her reflexively with the hit.

"Damn, girl. Yer so fucking hot. Gonna fuck ya good'n hard now!"

He let himself fall on his back, not once loosening his grip on her. She was firmly pressed against his chest now with her arms still restrained by his. Daryl planted his feet on the mattress, his free hand grabbing the back of her thigh, holding her in place, then he thrust up into her hard and fast, just like he had promised. Teddy had no choice but to lay there and take it. Not that she minded. She loved it. She moaned against his neck and bit down hard when the pressure began to build, only spurring Daryl on even more. She wasn't the only one who got off on a little pain. A couple of frantic thrusts later she felt his dick twitch rhythmically inside of her while he came, followed by heavy gasps and groaned expletives. Teddy smiled contentedly against his neck, always happy about being able to give him pleasure. After a moment of catching his breath Daryl finally released her arms from his hold on them and gently pushed her off of him. He followed when she rolled on her back next to him, laying on his side next to her. Teddy's heart-rate picked up in excitement when she watched him push two of his fingers into his mouth only two withdraw the glistening digits a moment later and let them wander between her thighs. He pressed them against her clit, rubbing them back and forth in a steady motion.

"Ya close, darlin'?

"Yes."

"Tell me what ya need."

"Hurt me, baby."

Daryl groaned. Those words probably shouldn't turn him on so damn much, but it put him at ease to know that he never 'really' hurt her. His mouth wandered back down to her breasts where he lapped at her nipple, wetting it before softly blowing air against it, making it harden instantly. Teddy shivered and cried out loud when she felt his teeth sink into her soft flesh.

"Yes that's it, don't stop baby, don't stop now!" she chanted and Daryl felt her body lock up. He picked up the speed of his fingers and tugged on her nipple sharply with his teeth, grinning around it when Teddy started spasming and scratched up his arm in the thores of her orgasm. He loved when she did that, he proudly wore the marks of her pleasure that HE had given her.

"Oh God, baby,... you're amazing." she breathed when her rush started to ebb off and she went limp in his arms.

"Nah, just know how ta handle ya." he wanted it to sound casual, but his proud grin betrayed how happy he was about being able to make her feel good.

"That you do. Better than anyone." she kissed him on the lips, letting her tongue push past them and mate with his while she let her hands run over his body. He always felt so damn good, she couldn't get enough of the feeling of his strong hard muscles underneath his smooth, tight skin. "It's still early. Wanna go to the living room and watch a movie? Or go out for a walk?"

"Movie sounds good. Kinda jonesing for some chocolate."

"Good thing you bought like a gazillion chocolate bars."

"Still don't get how ya don't like chocolate."

"I never said I don't like it. I do, but most of the time I only crave it every other month when PMS hits. Otherwise I am more of a potato chips girl."

"I know and ya ain't ever eatin' 'em in bed again. Worst night ever with those chips crumbs pokin' me all night long. Felt like I was sleeping on a freaking nail board."

"Maybe we should get one of those little hand-held vacuum cleaners. That way you can get up and just vacuum it all away next time."

"Ain't gon' be no next time, woman. Eat 'em on the couch like everybody else or I'll make you switch places with me in the middle of the night. How the hell did those crumbs end up on ma side anyway?"

"No idea." Teddy giggled. "But it was fun hearing you grumble under your breath all night long."

"Rotten woman." Daryl mock-grumbled, before he leaned over and kissed her. Then he got out of bed to take a piss and freshen up. Teddy sat up and made a face when she felt traces of Daryl leak out of her. That part she really could do without, that was the only upside of condoms (apart from preventing pregnancy): Not having to deal with wet spots on the sheets.

"Why don't you go and pick a movie, I'll change the sheets real quick when I'm done in the bathroom."

"Fine. Want me ta get some chips out for ya?"

"No, I'm good. Still full from that late lunch."

"That was hours ago."

"Yeah, guess venison is pretty filling."

"It ain't. Not sittin' well?"

"No it's alright. Just not hungry right now, baby. Don't worry."

"'kay." He kissed her and left for the living room while Teddy got her turn in the bathroom.

Soon they were comfy and cozy on the couch watching South Park because none of the movies Teddy owned had appealed to Daryl. She barely had any DVDs and the ones she had were mostly TV shows from her teenage years he could care less about. She just wasn't a big movie person. The only thing Daryl would have been interested in was her box set with all the Rocky-movies, which she only owned because she thought young Stallone was hot, but she had lent that to Billy and he had yet to give it back. So they just watched South Park while Daryl devoured chocolate bar after chocolate bar and chuckled occasionally at what was being said on screen while Teddy rested her head on his lap and enjoyed the evening until she eventually fell asleep. Daryl covered her with a blanket and gently played with her hair until he too succumbed to slumber.

####### ####### ###### ###### ####### ########

The next morning Daryl got up early, because he wanted to go see Merle at Pickens County Jail. Visitation time was between 8am and 10am and Daryl wanted to get there early to reserve himself his 30 minutes of visitation with his brother. The rules were strict. Visitation always ran in groups of six inmates and Daryl had to check in at the front desk to be assigned a slot. These slots were assigned on a first come first serve basis and if he was too late and all the slots had already been filled he had to go back home and wait until the next weekend to see Merle, since visiting hours were only in the mornings and Daryl had to work. Teddy knew he was going to see his brother, so he let her sleep and got ready as quietly as possible and sneaked out later.

He got there at 7am and was relieved to be one of the firsts to check in, so at exactly 8am his name was called and he got himself patted down by one of the guards before he entered the visitation area. Merle was brought in a minute later along with five other inmates, but none of them had that shit-eating grin that Merle always sported.

"Hey there, baby brother. Still no haircut, eh? Yer startin' ta look like a girl, son."

"Good ta see ya, too, Merle." Daryl inwardly rolled his eyes at his brother's comment. Always strike first before somebody else might deliver a blow. It was Merle's way of life and it always got him into trouble.

"Miss me like crazy, don't cha? So, what's the good word around town? The old bastard finally dead?"

"No, but he ain't doin' so good. Prolly won't take much longer."

"Good. Let him drink himself ta death. Finally gets what's comin' ta him, dirty old fuck." Merle muttered bitterly and Daryl knew better than to object.

"How ya doin' in here?"

"Same old, same old. Try'na keep ma head down fer once. Fixin' ta get outta here sooner rather than later."

"Hm." Daryl grunted, not too pleased about the prospect of Merle getting out of jail too soon, now that he had Teddy in his life.

"Oh don't piss yer pants from joy, lil brother. Tell me, what have you been doin?" Merle asked, sensing that his brother had something to tell him from the way he'd been squirming.

"Not much,... kinda uhm,... kinda started seein' someone." he admitted, looking anywhere but at his brother.

"Seein' someone? Like a shrink?" Merle asked with a frown.

"Not a shrink, man! I ain't insane!" Daryl snarled at his older brother. Then he cleared his throat and averted his gaze again. "I met someone. A girl. A woman... been seein' her like two weeks now. Maybe longer,... don't know if all that stuff before counts... officially..."

"The hell ya rantin' on about? Ya ain't just fuckin' that broad?"

"No, we're like... together. Couple." Daryl stammered nervously and started biting his lip in earnest after getting the words out.

"The fuck ya doin'? Did I teach ya nuthin? Ya fuck 'em, ya leave 'em. Ain't no chick worth more than a quick ride. Ya stay with them longer they start pullin' yer money outta yer pockets. Hell, I leave ya alone fer two months and ya go shackin' up with some skank? Who is it?"

"You don't know her. Her name's Teddy."

"Teddy?" Merle spat with disdain. "Kind'a hooker name is that?"

"It's short for Theodora,... Robertson. Billy's sister. Ya know, from work." Daryl kept chewing his lip, watching Merle's brow furrow in confusion.

"He ain't got no sister!"

"Yeah, he does. Twin sister. Just didn't live here. Moved here right around the time they locked ya up."

"Hell, son! Gettin' involved with a goddamn Robertson? That's even worse than some skank. Don't ya know who her folks are? Biggest judgmental pussies in town. Yer settin' yerself up for trouble here."

"Maybe. But she's a good one. Told her folks to go fuck themselves when they gave her hell for datin' me. They even fired her, but she don't care. Wants ta stay with me more than keep working for her Daddy." Daryl explained, hoping against all odds that he would be able to get Merle to be happy for him.

"She workin' fer her Daddy? Aww no, c'mon boy, don't tell me she's a damn doctor."

"She is. Specializes in working with little kids and babies, but does other stuff, too. She treated Pa. She was the one who stitched me up, too." Daryl forgot who he was talking to for a moment, a little smile playing along his lips when he talked about Teddy. That smile left his face pretty soon, though, when Merle started chuckling and then full out laughing.

"Oh man. Yer such a fuckin' fool, lil brother. What do ya think this is? A damn soap opera? The lady doctor falls in love with the piss poor redneck? Ya ain't nothin' but a charity case ta her. Don't know what she wants with ya sorry ass, but I tell ya, somethin' smells rotten here."

"Shut up! It ain't like that. She ain't one of 'em stuck up bitches. Ya ain't got no idea what you're talking about." Daryl started shouting.

"Don't be an idiot, son. You know what we are to those people: redneck trash and nothing more! But you're drownin' in pussy and can't think straight." Their shouting alerted the guards and they quickly interrupted their argument.

"That's it Dixon. Visitation's over. You guys know the rules."

"Fine. I'm outta here. Don't know why I came in the first place." Daryl spat and got up to walk out of the room.

"Yeah, go back to being her fucking boy toy. That's all yer good for." Merle snarled and the two brothers shot each other hard looks while Merle was taken back to his cell.

'Fucking asshole. Should'a stayed in bed with ma woman.' Daryl thought angrily while he stomped out of the County Jail. What a waste of time. Why did he even tell Merle about Teddy? He knew Merle would make fun of it, but he had wanted to share. How fucking stupid of him. He could have gone another ten months without telling him,... IF Teddy wanted him that long. Now the cat was out of the bag and Merle would make sure to bring it up during every visit, Daryl knew that for a fact.

He drove back to Teddy's apartment, he hoped she would still be in bed and he could shrug off his clothes and get in there with her and wake her up in a special way. However when he unlocked the door and stepped inside, Teddy rushed towards him, dressed in her short black, satiny robe.

"Dar-"

'Good enough', Daryl thought and threw the keys into the bowl to join hers and before she could even finish saying his name he had slammed his lips down on hers and had grabbed the backs of her thighs, roughly lifting her into his arms with her legs around his waist. Teddy made a whimpering noise in the back of her throat while his tongue curled around hers and tried to push him away, but it didn't really register in Daryl's brain while he pushed her up against the door-frame that led to the living room.

"Daryl!" she pressed out against his lips, still trying to push him away by pressing her hands against his chest.

"What?" Daryl asked impatiently. "Want cha!" he froze when he heard somebody clearing their throat in the living room. Daryl pulled his mouth from hers and stared at her wide-eyed.

"Yeah, well, we're not alone..." Teddy trailed off and Daryl finally turned his head and looked over to the couch. Bernadette and Gerald Robertson sat on Teddy's couch, watching them with interest. Teddy's father wore a deep frown, clearly unhappy about someone expressing sexual desire for his daughter and actually having to see Daryl push her up against the door-frame and kissing her like that was not helping at all. Teddy's mother on the other hand looked on with an arched eyebrow and she looked like she was fighting to keep the amusement to show up on her face, but only half-succeeding.

"Honey, I think it's time to let me down now." Teddy whispered and Daryl quickly released her and took a big step back until he bumped into the other side of the door-frame with his back.

"Sorry." he mumbled and started chewing on his thumbnail, carefully glancing over to the couch through his bangs, that he gladly let fall into his face now, feeling a bit more secure with a bit of a curtain hiding his face.

"Like I said, I'm getting dressed real quick. We'll be right back." Teddy told her parents and took hold of Daryl's hand to drag him with her. She closed the bedroom door behind them and noticed that Daryl looked a little panicked. "Don't freak out, okay? It's gonna be fine, they wanna meet you and get to know you a little. It's a good thing. Just keep your cool and try not to antagonize them, I know it might be hard not to do that, trust me it's not easy for me to stay calm either, but I want this to go well, okay? But if they do get out of line, you don't need to hold back."

"Shit, man. I ain't good with this. I'll fuck it up!"

"No you won't. It's going to be okay. I'm right there with you. We'll get through this together." She kissed him gently, trying to ease his panic, but it didn't seem to be working. Teddy pulled on some sweatpants and a top before she turned back to him and brushed his hair out of his eyes. "They'll like you, I'm sure of it."

"Pfff right. That's why he fired ya, because he likes me so damn much."

"Daryl, they judged you because of your last name. It was shitty and wrong of them to do that, but it looks like I got through to him yesterday and they finally want to get to know the real you and the real you is pretty fucking awesome. I am sure they will love you once they've met you a couple of times. Just relax. Come on." They went back out and found her parents in the kitchen. Her mother was already seated while her father put some more things on the table.

"We brought breakfast. We didn't know what you liked, Daryl, hopefully there will be something on this table that will be to your liking." Bernadette smiled pleasantly at him.

"Looks good, ma'am." Daryl mumbled shyly. He had a death grip on Teddy's hand, he felt completely out of his element and uncomfortable when her mother looked at him studiously, taking in every single feature, like she was memorizing him. They sat down, Teddy across from her father and Daryl across from her mother, giving her even more opportunity to study him. Daryl looked down while he chewed his lip nervously, only glancing up every couple of seconds, trying to get a clue what was about to happen.

"Daryl is like a goat, he eats pretty much everything." Teddy smiled and rubbed her hand over his arm affectionately, hoping he would be able to relax a little soon.

"Even your horrible concoctions?" Gerald asked curiously.

"No not really. He eats them if he has to. He finished a whole plate once! Without throwing up, I might add."

"How on earth did you do that, son?"

Daryl shrugged and looked up at her father for a second. "Really wanted her ta come with me..."

"Oh it was kind of like his way of asking me out for our first date. We made a deal, if he would finish the whole thing I would have to accompany him to a party in the woods. And what can I say? He put that stuff away like a champ." Teddy smiled proudly, while Daryl blushed.

"Oh my, that shows just how much you really wanted to go out with her." Bernadette laughed with a shake of her head.

"Felt like shit after. The food, I mean." Daryl mumbled quietly, mentally slapping himself upside the head for not wording his sentence differently, but from the sound of Bernadette's laughter she didn't seem to mind that he'd cursed.

"Brave man." she smiled before she took a sip from her coffee cup.

"So you work with Billy, yes?" Gerald asked next.

"Yes, sir." Daryl answered as politely as he could muster and even though he didn't show it, Gerald appreciated the effort.

"How do you like it?"

"I love it. I always liked working on cars and bikes. Already tinkered with them with ma Pa and brother when I was real little." Daryl answered truthfully. He was still squirming, but he started to get more comfortable with the situation.

"How is your father doing? Have you seen him since he was diagnosed?"

"Yeah, he ain't lookin' good. All yellow and his veins are weird." Daryl sighed deeply. He still couldn't comprehend how his father wasn't doing anything to save himself.

"Spider Angiomas." Gerald sighed, looking at Teddy this time.

"Yeah, he is progressing quickly, I guess. He is literally drinking himself to death."

"I wanted ta donate..." Daryl mumbled, not really knowing what else to say.

"That would have been a noble thing to do, son, but I don't think it would have worked for your father. He would have kept drinking and after some time this whole thing would just repeat itself and you would have taken the risks of that procedure in vain."

"That's what I said." Teddy told her father. "Daryl just has a hard time accepting that there is nothing he can do."

"There really is nothing you can do, Daryl. Other than to convince him to stop drinking." Gerald said.

"I tried. He thinks he ain't sick."

"You can't help him anymore, honey." Teddy squeezed his leg comfortingly.

"What do you do in your free time, Daryl? When you're not spending it with our daughter." Bernadette steered the conversation back to Daryl.

"I hunt."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, I can track and I'm a good shot. I like it."

"What do you do with the animals you shoot?" Bernadette didn't really have a concept of how hunting worked, but she was interested and happy to learn about Daryl's favorite past-time.

"Gut 'em, skin 'em, cook 'em, eat 'em."

"Really? You eat it? I thought you maybe take them to the taxidermist and have them stuffed. I never realized that hunters eat those animals." Bernadette was intrigued and leaned forward on the table with her chin resting in her hand, wanting to hear more about it.

"Nah, I hunt ta eat it. Saves money. Sometimes I get an order for a deer or a boar and I go out and hunt it and sell it to that person." Daryl finally relaxed and was able to be more enthusiastic while talking about hunting.

"That is so interesting. That means if we are having a dinner party and wanted to serve deer, I would call you and ask you to go shoot one?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"How much would that cost?"

"'bout 200 bucks."

"200 dollars for a whole deer? That's a good price. And you even gut it and all that stuff?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Darlin' you are selling yourself short for doing all that work! How long are you out in the woods for when you hunt for a deer?" Bernadette was warming up to Daryl surprisingly quick to her own surprise. She couldn't help it, there was something utterly endearing about him that woke the motherly feelings inside of her. And she was still a red-blooded woman, she had to admit Daryl really had a nice built and a wonderful pair of arms. She understood how her daughter had become smitten with him.

"Depends. Sometimes it just takes an hour, sometimes it can take a lot longer or I don't find one at all." Daryl explained, blushing when she'd called him darling.

They kept talking for almost another two hours and Teddy was surprised by how well-behaved they were. They didn't ask offending questions and they weren't giving him the third degree. The rest of the time it was mostly Teddy and her parents talking, trying to include him and learn a bit more about him. Teddy was still a little wary, but she was also very proud of her parents for giving Daryl a genuine chance and she was very proud of Daryl. He had really handled it well. Still, when her parents left the apartment he released a deep breath and threaded his hands through his hair.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Teddy smiled and wrapped her arms around him.

"It seemed okay, but I ain't gonna lie. Was nerve-wracking. Ain't never done this before."

"I figured, but you were perfect. Seriously, you handled it very well."

"Didn't feel like they hated me." Daryl mumbled, while he shuffled his feet. He needed her reassurance that he wasn't imagining that.

"No they don't hate you. The whole thing would have gone completely different if they wouldn't have liked you. I told you so, didn't I? They just needed to get their act together and give you a chance. You're a good guy, they just needed to see that for themselves. All they knew was how your father and your brother were acting. Speaking of, how is your brother doing?"

"Don't ask. Hasn't changed, still an asshole." Daryl sighed, willing the anger, that threatened to bubble up, back down.

"Awesome. Tell you what, how about we take a nice bath? I'll clean up the kitchen real quick and you get the bath ready and then we'll just take the rest of the day to relax and do fun things?"

"Fun things, huh? Sounds good ta me!" Daryl smiled and kissed her lips sweetly and got right on drawing that bath for them.

####### ###### ####### ####### ####### ###### #######

"What did you think, sweetheart?" Bernadette asked her husband when they were in their car to drive back home.

"Well,... Teddy told me that he was shy, but I really hadn't expected him to be shy. Not like that."

"Me neither. I like him, Gerald. I think looks are deceiving in his case. He seems sweet. And young, very young." Bernadette said. She was still convinced that he looked like a criminal, but the way he behaved was the complete opposite.

"Yes, his emotional and social development surely suffered from his upbringing. I think it is still too early to tell if he is really as nice and sweet as he seems, but I have to agree, he isn't nearly as bad as his reputation."

"And he is absolutely smitten with our daughter."

"Obviously, judging from that horrible display we had to witness." Gerald shook himself. That is something a father never wants to know about her daughter's life.

"Oh don't be such a prude. When we were that age we weren't any better." Bernadette laughed.

"That is true, but we never did that in front of our parents."

"The boy didn't know we were there, Gerald. Don't be like that. He was embarrassed when he realized we were there."

"Yes ma'am." Gerald chuckled. "I have to say, he does have manners."

"He does. That was very cute. He already has a key to her apartment. Teddy is different with him. I think we better get used to the boy, Gerald. I get the feeling that he will be around for a long time."

"You really think so?"

"Yes. A mother always knows. Daryl Dixon is here to stay."

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**AN: Thank you everybody for reading and supporting this story! Sorry to the ones who wanted to go to war with the parents, lol. Trust me, there is still enough drama ahead for those two, I'll just let them take a breather before things get tougher again.**

**Oh, btw: Uploading new chapters has become a huge issue. has changed something and it has made it difficult to properly format the chapters, so if there are mistakes in here or something is too clustered, I apologize. I am still trying to figure this new system out.**

**Thank you to the lovely guest Snowbird for your review. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.  
**

**See y'all around folks.  
**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The next six weeks passed in a blur. Teddy, of course, had returned back to work after that Sunday morning breakfast with her parents and Daryl, and things had definitely quieted down. Her parents had declared every Wednesday night to be the night for a big family dinner and they had made sure to explicitly invite Daryl as well. The first time of having dinner at the Robertson house had been a culture shock for Daryl. Their dining room was like a dining hall and there were paintings and weird sculptures everywhere. The weirdest thing to him was that they had a maid, a 45 year old woman from Argentina, called Rosario, who always prepared the food and served it to them after. He had seen it in movies, but he'd never expected this to be a real thing, that people get served food in their own home by a maid. He always thanked her profusely, embarrassed by having the woman serve him, and Rosario got a kick out of it. She always had to suppress a giggle, instead she smiled real big at him and told him with her Spanish accent: "No worries, Mr. Daryl. Enjoy." Teddy just rolled her eyes, but with a proud smile on her face. Another woman smitten with Daryl's cute shyness.

Teddy often considered the dinner nights to be a drag, but it was a good thing for Daryl and her parents. They got to know each other and Daryl had really started to relax around them over the course of the past couple of weeks. He liked her parents, they had their faults and were a little overbearing and even silly at times, but he didn't have reason to complain anymore. Ever since he'd met them for the first time, they had been nothing but nice to him. He didn't tell Teddy, but he secretly loved the family dinners. Even though Bernadette did most of the talking and her country club gossip was boring, he enjoyed sitting at that table with Teddy and her family. It was normal and he had craved that kind of normalcy his entire life. He felt included and like he was a part of something real and good for once. He'd always wanted a family like this and he was insanely happy that they had accepted him into their fold. Also, the food was goddamn fantastic.

He also liked watching Billy and Teddy interact. They were bickering a lot and sometimes even full-on fighting right at the table, but it was clear that they loved each other dearly. He wished he could have had that kind of relationship with Merle, but it just wasn't meant to be. They'd always had to fight to survive the hell they had grown up in and it had hardened Merle to the point of no return. Merle was incapable of showing love and caring. Daryl was sure that deep down he did care in his own way, but he would never be able to really show it. Daryl also liked watching Billy and Maggie together. They had been together for over 2 years, while he and Teddy had been dating a mere two months by now. They seemed to have a real connection and they looked real happy every time Daryl saw them together. It made him wonder about what his future with Teddy would look like, if they would look that happy after two years together, if she would still look at him as adoringly as Maggie looked at Billy and if conversation would flow easily between them like it did for them.

"More ice-cream, Mr. Daryl?" Rosario's heavy accent tore him out of his thoughts and he quickly shook his head.

"Oh no, no thank you. I'm stuffed. It was awesome, though." Daryl gave her a little smile. It had been more than awesome, it was deep-fried ice-cream and it was the best thing he had ever had.

"Oh come on, sweetie, have some more. Give those guns some more ammo. That's how young people say it, right?" Teddy's mother pointed to his arms and looked at him questioningly while Daryl blushed a dark shade of red.

"Mother!" Teddy gaped at Bernadette, not able to believe what she was hearing, while Billy laughed out loud and Gerald frowned comically at his wife. She knew her mother just loved Daryl to death by now, always calling him sweetie and loving how it made him blush, but complimenting him on his physique took it a bit too far in Teddy's opinion.

"Oh settle down, I didn't mean it like that. You have to watch out, Daryl. She is a jealous one." Bernadette huffed and pointed at Teddy. "I meant that he could stand to put on a little weight. I think he lost some since I first saw him. Have you lost weight, sweetie?" She asked him, but didn't wait for his answer and just kept talking instead. "You're not giving him what he needs, Theodora. He is a hard working man, he needs good food when he gets home. You should put more effort in learning how to cook for him instead of making him cook for you every day."

"I don't MAKE him cook for me, mother."

"It wouldn't hurt if you would try to learn. Just set small goals. Pick one dish and work on perfecting it. Make it over and over again until you can do it and then go over to the next. You have to cook for your man, Theodora. The way to a man's heart is through his stomach. You two are nearing the end of the honeymoon-phase, after the first three months a routine starts to settle in and boredom kills every relationship. Time to step it up, dear." Bernadette said with that sickly sweet smile that made Teddy's skin crawl.

"It's alright. I like cookin' for us." Daryl stepped in, trying to ease the tension that was quickly escalating on his girlfriend's part.

"You're sweet, but you work hard, you deserve to get pampered by your woman from time to time. It can't always be you doing that for her."

"Mom, do you even hear yourself talk? When was the last time YOU personally cooked a meal for Daddy?"

"You would be surprised. Just last week, dear. We have special nights when Rosario has her day off. That's the time when I take care of your father's needs."

"Oh God, I'm gonna black out." Billy groaned and made a face, while Teddy made gagging noises.

"Also, my dear daughter, the difference between you and me is, that I already have my man. We've been married for 30 years, he knows what he's got and he isn't fool enough to go looking elsewhere, because he knows he won't ever get another woman like me. You on the other hand don't seem to be doing much to keep Daryl by your side. Don't be so sure of yourself, Teddy. Sex is not everything. There are other needs that need to be fulfilled as well and you'd do good to find out what those are and take care of them."

"Mom, stop! We are not Billy and Maggie and we are not you and Dad. We haven't been together for years and years, it's just been 8 weeks and we are still figuring things out, alright? You see us once or twice a week, you have no idea what's going on between that, so please back off." Teddy's voice had risen in volume and the others started squirming uncomfortably from the ensuing awkwardness.

"I just worry. You've never had a real relationship before and after Milo died you got so closed off, sweetheart. Daryl is the first person you've opened yourself up to since that, you are so different when you are around him. Different from the way you were before. He makes you happy and I just want it to work out for the two of you. You are my daughter, Teddy and I know you. I know the good sides and I know the bad sides and I am sure Daryl hasn't seen all of you yet by a long shot. You have a hard time making compromises and you can be very selfish, Theodora. It's easy for you to just take and not give back, but in a relationship you have to give back and I want you to know that and really think about that before you hurt that sweet man next to you."

"That's enough, Mom. They are both adults and they will figure it out. If you keep talking like that you're gonna scare Daryl off for sure. It either works out or it doesn't, but you can be sure that your meddling is not helping. Let it go." Billy stuck up for his sister. His parents could never leave well enough alone. They weren't happy until there was some sort of discord, it seemed.

"I wanna go home." Teddy told Daryl, who quickly nodded, eager to get out of there himself."

"We'll walk you out." Billy and Maggie got up as well, while their parents just watched on silently.

"Why do you always have to do that? Everything's been going great for once." Gerald rubbed his face tiredly after the kids had left the dining room.

"Oh you know your daughter, Gerald. She needs a little push sometimes. Daryl has turned out to be wonderful for her, but she doesn't seem to put any effort into the relationship while Daryl just jumps at every occasion to do things for her. She can't just sit back and let him do it all the time."

"Bernie, you need to apologize once things calmed back down. You keep acting like Daryl is your son and Teddy is the in-law. We haven't done right by her more than enough, it's time to pipe down and let her handle her own life. I think she proved that she is able to make good decisions. We were the ones who were ignorant and prejudiced. If Daryl turns out to be unhappy with her, that is between them and they have to handle it on their own." He rubbed his temples while he talked to his wife in his stern voice. He knew she meant well, but she had the tendency to overstep boundaries.

"Fine. I'll call her tomorrow or on Friday and apologize. I just want her to stay happy."

"And that will probably work much better if we stay out of it, Bernie. It's going to be fine, don't worry."

####### ####### ####### ####### ###### #######

"Ya mad at me?" They were back at Teddy's apartment just a couple minutes later and Teddy had been completely quiet. It unnerved him a little.

"No. Why on earth would I be mad at you? You didn't do anything." Teddy gave him a quick peck on the lips while she passed him on her way to the fridge.

"Exactly. I didn't do nothin'. Should'a stuck up for ya."

"No, it was better that you kept quiet, trust me. Should have known something like this would happen sooner or later. It's been way to peaceful." Teddy muttered darkly while she poured herself a glass of 7Up. "Want some?"

"Yeah." Daryl got out another glass for himself and put it next to hers on the counter for her to fill up. "Was it true what she said?"

"Which part of her lovely, back-stabbing speech do you mean?" Teddy tried to keep the bitterness out of her voice, but didn't succeed at all.

"It true that ya ain't never really done this before neither?"

"Oh you mean the relationship thing? Don't know. I've had boyfriends, but I think you could say that it's never been serious. Casual stuff and never really lasted longer than a month or two."

"Hm. Two months, huh? Ain't getting tired of me yet, are ya?" he asked nervously and started chewing on his lip furiously right after getting the words out. Teddy smirked and walked over to the kitchen table where he had sat down on one of the chairs. She straddled his lap and leaned in to rub her nose against his, her voice a sexy whisper.

"Honey, I was down on my knees and had your gorgeous dick in my mouth within a minute of you walking in here after work today and half an hour later we did it like bunnies on this table. What do you think?"

"I think you jus' want me for ma body." he grinned, causing Teddy to giggle and rub her hands over his broad shoulders.

"It IS a nice body." She kissed him on the lips and got off his lap. "Tired. Let's sleep." Teddy left the kitchen, leaving a frowning Daryl behind. The exchange had only served to make him more nervous. If she saw this relationship as purely physical, what was there to stop her from dumping his ass once she's had her fill? Why didn't she say more? She had pretty much implied that his assumption was right, even if he had been half-joking. She was the woman, wasn't she supposed to reassure him that she wasn't just in this for the sex? But she hadn't. That meant it was just sex for her. But then why include him into her family? She and her mother had both said she'd never had a serious relationship, so did that mean this was her first one or did Teddy really not think of this as a real relationship? He was extremely confused. He didn't sleep that night, he tried to shut his mind off, but it didn't work, he just kept asking himself the same questions over and over again.

When Teddy's alarm rang the next morning he had just started dozing off and groaned loudly when he realized he had to get up. Teddy frowned, usually Daryl was up at the first sound, but today he just rolled over and buried his face in his pillow. This was also the first morning he hadn't been wrapped around her when she woke up.

"Daryl honey, don't feel good?" she peered over his shoulder with a concerned look on her face and rubbed his arm gently.

"Couldn't sleep. Fucking tired." he grumbled and pulled the blanket up to his chin. The fatigue caused him to get cold easier than usual.

"I'm sorry." Teddy kissed his shoulder and sat up. "I'll get you coffee and something to eat. Just stay here." She got up and walked to the kitchen to fix him breakfast while Daryl dragged himself into a sitting position and rubbed his tired eyes hard with his fists.

"Oh baby, you look so tired. It breaks my heart." Teddy sat down on the edge of the bed and handed him his coffee and some toast with grape jelly. "Do you feel sick?"

"I told ya, I couldn't fucking sleep. Ain't sick. Back off, Doc." he snapped at her.

"Fine. Enjoy your breakfast, Mechanic. Or should I say jerk? You're welcome by the way." Teddy snapped right back and immediately got up and walked into the bathroom to get ready for work, slamming the door behind her for good measure. She hated when he got like that for no apparent reason. It got less and less, but it still happened occasionally. She took her shower and wrapped herself in a towel and stepped up to the sink to brush her teeth, take her birth control and apply her make-up. It was her daily routine and she did it on auto-pilot, but when she was about to push her birth control pill into the palm of her hand, she froze. She was about to push the Wednesday pill into her hand, but today was Thursday. She knew that for sure because of the family dinner last night. She'd forgotten to take it yesterday. Daryl had come in and distracted her and it must have slipped her mind because she had left the apartment in a hurry after that good morning fuck on the bathroom counter.

"Shit. Of course, just fits right in with the way this day started." She stared at the pills, pondering where she was in her cycle right now and how high the risk would be of having gotten pregnant. She wasn't too fond of morning after-pills, she knew the side effects, they made you feel like crap for up to two days, but in the end she decided to pick some up on her break anyway. Better safe than sorry.

She went back to the bedroom a couple of minutes later to get dressed and found Daryl already buttoning his shirt. He glanced up at her for a moment and sighed deeply when she didn't look at him. "Guess it's gonna be pancakes for dinner, huh?"

"Yep." Teddy nodded. "Nice big stack of Punishment Pancakes while I will have some delicious Lifting Teddy's Spirits Pizza."

"'M sorry."

"I know. You always are." She put on her top and stilled for a moment, her eyes closing, when she felt his warm hands on her waist and his lips on her neck. She wriggled out of his grasp a second later and slipped her feet into her heels. "I have to go. I'll see you tonight." she gave him a quick kiss on the lips, showing him that even though she was mad, it wasn't something big that couldn't be fixed. She knew Daryl well enough to know that he would assume that this was it if she would have just left.

"Okay." he sighed and let his fingers slide over her arm while she walked past him. When he heard the front door close he rubbed his eyes once more and decided on another coffee before work. He'd probably have to gulp down a gallon in order to get through the day. He was in a really foul mood and everybody at work steered clear of him as soon as they noticed. All except for Billy.

"You look like hell, man. Listen, don't let my mother get to you, alright? She loves messing with this kind of stuff. Guess her life is too boring if she can't stir up shit. You guys doin' okay?"

Daryl just shrugged, not feeling like talking about it.

"Had a fight?" Billy pressed carefully.

"Not really, I guess. Jus' thinkin bout stuff..."

"So she did get into your head. Daryl, man, don't."

"Ain't just her. Teddy said stuff, too,... later. Got me thinking."

"About?"

"Ain't gonna talk bout it ta you."

"Maybe I can help?"

"Nah. Jus' leave it."

Billy nodded, he knew not to push Daryl any further. His temper and how quickly he could loose it, was infamous amongst his colleagues, so he did what Daryl told him to and left it alone. Daryl was glad that nobody talked to him for the rest of the work day. He couldn't wait to get home and straighten things out with Teddy and have shit back to normal, so he could get some sleep. A quiet evening was all he wanted, but of course he wouldn't get it.

When he entered Teddy's apartment in the late afternoon she was rushing towards the door with her bag in hand.

"Where you going?" he asked after she had pressed a quick kiss to his lips.

"Emergency. Got called, gotta go. I'll be back soon." she told him quickly and then she was gone.

"Awesome." Daryl sighed and closed the apartment door behind him. He tossed his keys into the bowl and walked into the kitchen to get himself a nice cold beer from the fridge. He leaned back against the counter and took a big gulp, his eyes closing while the cool liquid made him relax a little. When he opened them again his gaze landed on a glass of water standing next to the sink and a little box sitting right beside it. His curiosity was piqued and he walked over and picked up the box, reading what was printed on it.

"Plan B, emergency contraceptive. Reduces the chance of pregnancy after unprotected sex. Take as soon as possible within 72 hours after unprotected sex... What the hell?" his gut tightened. These were fucking morning after pills. He checked the box and found that she had already taken one. His mind was in a jumble, he felt like he'd gotten hit with a sledgehammer. Was she pregnant? He didn't know how these things worked and there was no instruction leaflet in the box. His breath left his lungs when the thought that she was aborting his baby hit him. Without even asking him, without including him in anything. She hadn't even told him she was pregnant. If she was pregnant. Hell, whatever it was, she hadn't told him, she had just gone ahead and taken the fucking pill. He felt like he was about to fall into a blind rage, his fists were clenching and unclenching at his sides. He had a good mind to chase after her and ask her what the fuck was going on, but he knew he couldn't. He had to wait. He grabbed the box and his beer and sat down at the kitchen table to wait for her return.

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Teddy came back about two hours later and Daryl was already on his fourth beer, unfortunately it had done nothing to help him calm down.

"Hey. Took longer than I thought. I thought you'd be in bed already after the night you had." She leaned down to kiss his temple, but Daryl tore his head away. He started tapping two fingers on the pill box and gave her a hard look.

"Anythin ya wanna tell me?" his voice sounded downright menacing. Teddy looked down at the table and noticed the box.

"Oh those. Yeah, forgot to take my birth control pill yesterday." she shrugged casually, making Daryl's blood pressure rise even more. He couldn't believe she was being so nonchalant about this.

"That's it, yeah? I'm good enough ta fuck, but I ain't good enough ta have a baby with?" he started full on yelling right away and Teddy's eyes widened in shock.

"Daryl, calm down."

"Don't ya tell me ta calm down. Ya kill ma baby and don't even tell me bout it?" he was yelling so loudly that Teddy was sure the neighbors heard every single word, but she didn't care. His words were knocking the wind out of her and made her mad like hell.

"I did not kill your baby, are you crazy? Didn't you read the box? It's an emergency contraceptive, not a freaking abortion pill. It PREVENTS pregnancy, it doesn't terminate it. You get that? It prevents it from happening in the first place. It's a fucking precaution, not an abortion."

"So what? Ya still should'a told me before taking it, ya can't leave me outta that decision."

"Uhm, yes I can. There was nothing for you to decide, Daryl. It is like a replacement birth control pill. Does that mean I have to ask you permission for taking my birth control from now on?" she shouted at him.

"That ain't the same and ya know it."

"It's exactly the same. And I would have told you this morning if you hadn't been a jerk. I would have told you after work if I hadn't gotten called out for that emergency. You're getting upset over nothing." she explained, shaking her head in exasperation.

"Ain't nothing." Daryl replied sullenly.

"It IS nothing. I forgot to take my pill yesterday because we fucked and I was late for work and I thought better safe than sorry, because we had sex again before dinner yesterday."

"See? That's exactly the point. Better safe than sorry, the fuck is that supposed ta mean, huh? Me knockin' ya up would be that fucking horrible, that ya gotta take this shit and make sure that it ain't ever happenin'?"

"You're being ridiculous. How much beer have you had? You are seriously out of your mind right now and I already know who to blame for that. My lovely mother has done it again." Teddy scoffed, already thinking of some few choice words she wanted to throw her mother's way.

"Nah, this ain't on her. This is on you! She was right, fuck even my brother was right. I'm just your boy toy, ain't that right?" he pointed his finger at her and got in her face.

"My boy toy? Are you serious? Jesus, Daryl!" Teddy scoffed. This was getting ridiculous.

"Ya said it yerself. You don't do serious."

"I never said that. I said that I've never had a serious relationship before... until now."

"That's not what ya said last night... Last night I said ya only wanted me for ma body and ya didn't even deny it. So what does that make me other than yer fucking boy toy?"

"Mhm. So you think I'd give my boy toy a key to my apartment? After less than a week, no less? You think I take my boy toy to family dinners and spend every single night and day with him for two months straight? Think I go on evening strolls or camping with my boy toy? That I'd gladly give up my job or my family for a fucking boy toy?" Teddy asked him incredulously. She couldn't believe that he really thought that she would think of him as just some fling.

"So what the fuck are ya sayin'?" he snarled at her.

"I'm saying that I fucking love you, you stupid jackass!" Teddy yelled at him, shoving him against his chest with her little hands, trying to get some frustration out of her system. Daryl stumbled back, so shocked that he almost lost his balance. Teddy watched the color drain from his face while he gaped at her. "Yeah, how's that for a newsflash, huh? And you can't even call me by my name because it's too intimate or some bullshit like that? How do you think that makes ME feel? It sure doesn't spell 'ready to commit'. And nei- oh God..." Teddy's eyes widened in panic and she slapped her hand over her mouth while she fled the kitchen.

Daryl stood there pale and blinking until the sound of her retching made him come out of his shock. He sprinted to the bathroom and kneeled behind her, carefully gathering her long hair in his hands and holding it away from her face while she threw up.

"What's happening?" he sounded like a little boy when he asked the question, he was so utterly confused by everything and now he was worried about her and didn't know what to do.

"It's a side effect from the pill. They make you feel like crap for a day or two. I won't go to work tomorrow, already told my dad." she gasped before she threw up again. Daryl winced and rubbed her back gently, trying to comfort her.

"Shit. So ya told the truth? This ain't an abortion?"

"You thought I lied about something like that? Geez, Daryl. You really have a way of making me feel special today. You don't trust me at all, do you? When I got fired, I told you that you were the best thing you ever happened to me, but you don't believe it, do you? Fuck, is she right? I don't give back enough? Am I treating you badly?" She barely got the words out between gasps and just when she was done talking she heaved once more. Feeling like she was done, she flipped down the lid and rested her forehead on top of it.

"Ya used ta treat me fine, but this? Can't help but feel like what ya did was real shitty of ya."

"It isn't a big deal. I'm sorry, but it's not. Guess we just disagree on that one."

"Ya could have waited. It said ya could wait up to three days, but ya couldn't wait ta swallow that sucker. Could'a talked ta me first. Ya told yer Daddy, but ya didn't tell me... I am the one ya should've told. Jus' don't feel nice, is all."

"You're right. You have a point. I could have waited another couple of hours. I wasn't thinking. I just wanted to get it over with."

"Come on, let's get you up and into bed." Daryl put his hands underneath her armpits and helped her up and guided her to the sink where she brushed her teeth to get rid of the horrible taste of vomit. Daryl stayed with her and steadied her, she was pretty wobbly and nauseous. After that he led her to the bedroom and helped her undress and put on her favorite Pj's. When she was under the covers he undressed himself and slipped in next to her and pulled her into his arms. They didn't talk for a long while and even though they were both very tired, they didn't fall asleep. Their heads were too full.

"What happened to your son?" Daryl had wanted to ask for a while, but he had never felt like it had been the right time until now.

"SIDS." Teddy replied quietly.

"What's that mean?"

"Sudden Infant Death Syndrome."

"What happened?"

"I don't know. He was healthy, everything was okay or so it seemed. He was such a good little boy. Only woke up once at night, wanting to get fed. More like morning. Every morning around five he would wake up. Sometimes the baby monitor would wake me up, but most of the time I'd wake up a couple of seconds before the baby monitor told me that he was up, that's how regular he was. One morning, when he was 8 weeks old I woke up and when I looked at the time, it was already around 6 am. Something just didn't feel right, so I got up and went to his room to check on him. As soon as I set foot in his room I knew. It was like the atmosphere was charged with it,... I walked to his crib, everything looked normal. He looked like he was sleeping. He WAS sleeping, but I knew he'd never wake up again. I picked him up and held him for an hour, said goodbye before I called it in. Coroner came, cops came and asked all those questions. I felt like a criminal."

"Cops? Why did they show up?"

"It was an unexplained death. They have to investigate and the coroner has to determine the cause of death, whether it was of natural causes or if I had abused and killed him."

Daryl's heart tightened in his chest. He couldn't even imagine what that had to feel like. Losing your child and being investigated for it right after.

"He did an autopsy and it was ruled to be SIDS and the investigation was stopped."

"What happened? How did he die?"

"I don't know, Daryl. It's what SIDS does. There is no real determinable cause of death. They just stop living. Nobody can explain it and it's not for lack of trying. He just left. He just got taken from me without warning." Silent tears were streaming down Teddy's face as she was taken back to that horrible night and Daryl had a hard time to keep his emotions at bay as well, his heart mostly hurting for Teddy. "The only comfort is, that those babies never show any signs of suffering. They just fall asleep and don't wake up again."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Nobody could have prevented it from happening. Took me long years to accept that."

"You ever wanna try having another one?"

"I don't know. I really don't. I'm not sure if I would be able to handle it emotionally to have another one. The constant fear I'd be living with of having it happen again..."

"That's why ya didn't wait ta swallow that pill." Daryl stated.

"I didn't even think about it like that, but you might be right. I should have waited. Should have told you what was going on. It was just a really fucked up and stressful day." Teddy sighed, followed by a big yawn, her fatigue finally overpowering her head.

"It was. Jus' promise me that next time something like this happens, you'll talk to me before ya do something about it. I just wanna know. I wouldn't have gone off the deep end if ya would've talked ta me and explained it instead of me finding the box and jumping ta conclusions."

"Same goes for you, baby. Don't lay awake all night wondering about things. Ask if you're unsure about something."

"Yeah. Looks like we ain't got all of it figured out yet, huh?" he smiled a little and kissed her forehead gently.

"No, not by a long shot. But that's alright, we've got plenty of time."

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**AN: Thank you for reading and supporting this story. I'm loving all the reviews, please keep them coming, they are very much appreciated.**

**Snowbird: Thank you so much for your review and kind words. I love reading them.**


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: Hello lovely readers. I joined the trend of making a tumblr for this story. You can go there and check it out to get visuals of Teddy, her family, etc and probably some sneak peeks at upcoming chapters in the future. Please be warned, that there are also graphic smutty pictures and animations, so it is +18 and NSFW. If you want to have some fun and interact, please don't hesitate to use the "Ask Daryl, Teddy & Co." section. You can ask the characters questions or leave them your opinion on things, whatever you feel like doing. So stop by and hang out a while. Go to jaylee8301 dot tumblr dot com**

**I repeat, there is smutty content and it is therefore not safe for work! Enjoy and have fun.**

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Her mother had apologized a couple of days after family dinner night and Teddy had forgiven her, but no matter how much Teddy tried to forget about it, her mother's words had gotten to her. Daryl didn't love her back, not yet anyway, and it was her own fault. You get back what you put in and apparently Teddy hadn't put in a lot, except for sexual favors. She wanted to win Daryl over once and for all, she wanted that man all to herself and she would try hard to give him what he needed, which was why she tried her hand at cooking again. Just steak and potato wedges, nothing major to fuck up there. At least that's what she hoped.

Daryl came home from running some errands after work and frowned when he saw her putting the frying pan on top of the stove.

"What are ya doin?"

"Making you dinner." Teddy replied and turned on the gas, not seeing Daryl's eyes widen.

"What? Why? I didn't do nothin'! Right?"

"No, you didn't." Teddy looked over her shoulder and laughed at his pale face. "Oh come on, it's not THAT bad. Relax. I have a back-up just in case."

"Why are ya tryin' this again? Thought we agreed that I'll do all the cookin'?" Daryl asked and stepped up behind her and kissed her neck gently.

Teddy shrugged, a little ashamed to admit that her mother had gotten to her. "My mom,... what she said. I'm not giving you enough."

"C'mon, ya know that ain't true. Ya do more than enough." his arms slipped around her midsection, pulling her back against him.

"I don't feel like I do. You do a ton and all I do is come home from work and have sex with you. And you really have lost weight."

"Yeah, so have you, 'cause we fuck all the damn time. Man, yer Momma really got a talent here. She really knows how ta get ta people. We all gotta stop listening ta her. You and Billy were right, she likes stirring this shit up. Can't let her do that, alright? So forget what she said, yer takin' care'a all ma needs, girl. Happiest man on the planet, got it?" Daryl told her sternly and tightened his arms around her to shake her a little on the 'got it'-part.

"You're sweet. No wonder everybody loves you." she smiled and gave his arms a short squeeze before she reached out towards the spice rack to grab the garlic powder. Daryl's big hand clamped down on her wrist before she got to it, though.

"Woah, what are ya doin'?"

"Getting the garlic powder, spice up the steak a little."

"Step away from the spice rack, woman! It ain't yer friend." Daryl walked backwards and took a laughing Teddy with him.

"Daryl! You're silly. Let me go, I wanna do this." She freed herself from his grasp and walked back to the stove to watch over the steak.

"Fine, but no garlic powder or nothin' else for that matter. Just leave it as it is." Daryl told her and leaned back against the counter next to the stove to watch her. "This ain't gonna be a regular thing, right?"

"I don't know... depends on how good it turns out I guess."

"Look, I appreciate ya tryin', but let me do it. It's the only thing I can do for ya that ya can't do for yerself. I'll never be able ta provide fer ya, not really, so let me do this at least. 'Kay?" he looked cool as a cucumber while he said it, but when Teddy looked him in the eyes she saw that he was actually pleading with her. She was surprised, she thought they had left the whole income thing behind them, but apparently it was still something that bothered him.

"Oh, okay. Fine. Here, take over then." She stepped away from the stove and switched places with him. "Guess that means I am not allowed to cook dinner for your birthday either, hm?"

"Not unless yer fixin' ta give me food poisoning." Daryl smirked, but the joke didn't amuse Teddy very much. Because she took the morning after-pills PMS was hitting her a little early this month and she was sensitive and more emotional than usual. Daryl noticed her blank expression and nudged her with his elbow.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." She said quietly and let her reply be accompanied by a shrug. "What do you wanna do for your birthday, then?"

"Never celebrated ma birthday. Ain't gon' do nothin'. Day like any other. Don't want no party and I mean it, darlin'. Don't go 'round planning shit." he warned her off. He didn't want some kind of party, much less a surprise party or whatever she might come up with. He just wanted a quiet dinner with her and maybe a nice little birthday fuck, but that was it. It worried him that she had been on her phone suspiciously much in the past couple of days.

"Okay. My parents will want to celebrate with you though. Nothing big, just dinner." She quickly added when she saw his eyes widen.

"Ya told 'em?"

"Sorry, didn't know it was supposed to be a secret. Don't get mad, it's just dinner like every Wednesday, only this time Rosario will make all your favorites and everybody will keep the peace because it will be your birthday and there's no fighting on birthdays. Please? My mom and Rosario are already excited as hell." Teddy grinned a little when she saw the corners of his mouth turn up, which he tried to hide with a scoff.

"Why the fuck are they excited? Ain't nothing special."

"See that's where you are wrong, baby. They love you and they wanna make that day special for you. You deserve it. You're gonna get pampered that day."

"Shit. It's gon' be awkward as hell. Don't know how to deal with that stuff." he muttered, but excitement started to bubble up inside of him. Nobody had ever given a shit about his birthday before and this year he didn't only have Teddy, he also had kind of an extended family who wanted to spend the day with him and make it a nice thing. It made him hell'a nervous. He'd never been the center of attention before, he didn't even have the slightest clue what that would be like.

"It's going to be fine. Just enjoy it. Try at least and if you get too uncomfortable we can always leave, you know that, right? Nobody is gonna force you to endure something you don't wanna do. We all know you're not big on socializing, it's okay." Teddy smiled and kissed him lovingly before she started to set the table.

"Alright." he nodded, but wanted to make sure that she knew he meant business. "But I'm fucking serious. No party."

"I promise. I swear on my shoes, my pretty dresses and everything else I consider to be holy, there will be no party. Cross my heart. That enough reassurance?"

"Smartass." he smacked her ass with the spatula in his hand, chuckling when she yelped and put her hands on her butt.

"Oooow! Fuck Daryl, that really hurt!" Daryl was about to make a smartass remark himself, but when he noticed her expression he realized that she wasn't playing. It made him frown in confusion, because she usually wasn't like this.

"You okay, darlin'? You're a little off today."

"I know, hormones I guess. "

"Ya sure that ya ain't knocked up?" he looked at her curiously. Maybe the pills hadn't worked?

"Yeah very sure. The morning after pills messed with my cycle and everything's a little out of whack."

"Hm,... ain't been like this before when it was yer time'a the month. Ya take a test?"

Teddy took a deep breath so she wouldn't flip out. Him questioning her repeatedly was exasperating her. At the same time she hated herself for reacting that way, her hormones really were doing a number on her today. She put her hands on his face, making him look into her eyes. "Baby, I am only gonna say this once. I am not pregnant. The pills messed up my cycle, PMS came on earlier and way stronger than usual, but that's it. Just a couple of days and everything goes back to normal, right in time for your birthday. Got it?"

Daryl nodded, fighting a smirk while he put the steaks on the plates and put the frying pan in the sink. He couldn't help it, she was cute when she got a little angry and it made the smirk fight its way onto his lips. "Someone's a little sassy today."

"Someone's being a bit of a jerk today." Teddy grumbled, feeling like he was making fun of her. Daryl gaped at her, a surprised laugh escaping him at her reaction.

"Oh now yer in trouble, woman. Gonna spank that sass right outta ya." he grabbed her ass hard and pulled her roughly to him until she was pressed flush against his front.

"Sorry." Teddy sighed deeply and kissed him softly. "For calling you a jerk. You're not, I'm being a bitch. Stupid, stupid female stuff. Forgive me?"

"Yeah, it's all good. Really not feeling good, huh?"his hard grip loosened and he went over to rubbing his hand over her butt and up over her back comfortingly.

"No. Just wanna eat and then lay down on the couch or in bed, don't really care which one."

"Okay, come on then, foods getting cold." he kissed her cheek and pushed her towards the table so they could eat and she could lay down soon.

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About a week later things really were back to normal and Teddy was excited about Daryl's birthday. She was looking forward to his reaction when she gave him the present she had gotten for him, she hoped he would be happy with what she had picked out for him. A lot of organizing and planning had gone into getting everything ready and Gerald had taken care of a couple of Teddy's patients for her, so she had been able to take care of the last details the day before his birthday. The really awesome thing about his birthday was, that Daryl was born on the 4th of July, which meant the auto repair shop he worked at was closed and Daryl had the day off. Gerald also kept the practice closed that day and he'd assigned himself to be call, although it would have been Teddy's turn to be on call, so she could spend the day with Daryl.

Teddy had enlisted the help of her whole family, including Rosario, to make sure Daryl would have the best day ever. The hardest part about it would be getting out of bed and out of the apartment unnoticed. Daryl's senses were hyper-sensitive through all the years he'd spent hunting out in the woods and he was a pretty light sleeper. Teddy had resorted to making him drink with her a little at night, hoping that the alcohol would help him fall into a deeper sleep. When her phone vibrated underneath her pillow at six in the morning on his birthday, she quickly turned the alarm off and looked down at his head on her chest. It wouldn't be an easy feat to get out from under him without waking him up. She started to squirm a little, trying to get him to turn, but he only burrowed his head into her chest deeper and tightened his grip on her. She wriggled some more, but it was to no avail. She would have to go the riskier route.

"Daryl... roll over, I have to use the bathroom, honey." she whispered while she slid down a little. Daryl's head lifted and he grunted his consent without opening his eyes and just rolled over on his other side and fell right back asleep, even snoring lightly. The drinks the evening before were doing their job and Teddy had to keep herself from yelling 'yes!' triumphantly. Instead she quickly slipped out of bed and grabbed the sweatpants, matching hoodie and the pair of socks she had conveniently placed underneath the bed, because the door of her closet creaked a little and tip-toed into the living room to get dressed. Once that was accomplished she put on her sneakers, grabbed her keys and slipped out the front door as quietly as possible before she all but ran to her car. She really had to pee, but she didn't want to risk waking Daryl after all, so it would have to wait until she arrived at her parents' house.

She was there a couple of minutes later and raced to the bathroom to relieve herself. When she came into the kitchen she greeted her mother and Rosario who were putting food in Tupperware boxes for Teddy to take home to Daryl. It was his birthday, she didn't want to offer him toast and bacon, so Rosario had made buttermilk pancakes, pecan waffles and chocolate chip banana muffins and her mother had prepared fresh fruit, so all Teddy would have to do was put it all on the table, knowing that she would have her hands full and wouldn't have the opportunity to do it herself. When everything was packed and deposited in her large shopping basket Teddy got back in her car and drove to the bakery to pick up Daryl's birthday cake and after that she drove to Billy's to pick up her present for Daryl, then she drove back to her apartment, hoping that he was still fast asleep. She carried everything upstairs and then slowly and carefully entered the apartment, listening for any sounds, but everything was still quiet. She took the food and the present to the kitchen and closed the door and set the table as quickly as possible without making too much noise. She took the food out of the tupperware boxes and arranged it on plates and put it on the table with his birthday cake being the centerpiece. She stepped back to look at everything and giggled when she heard the low whine and felt her leg getting nudged. She bent down and picked up the newest member of the family and screwed her eyes shut with a giggle when the puppy licked her face.

"Yeah, I know. I'm excited, too, sweetie." She cuddled the 4 month old Great Dane puppy to her chest with some difficulty. They weren't called Great Dane for nothing. The puppy already weighed more than 50 pounds and was about 25 inches tall. "Uff, you're heavy. What do you say? Wanna say hi to Daddy? Yes, let's go, come on." She set the dog down and led the way into the bedroom, coaxing the puppy to follow her when something caught its interest and it got distracted.

Teddy's heart beat rapidly in her chest when she neared the bed. She couldn't wait to see his reaction, she really hoped he would be excited. Teddy motioned for the dog to jump on the her side of the bed, so she wouldn't jump directly on Daryl and to her delight the puppy immediately went to check out Daryl, who started to rouse when the bed shifted. The dog sniffed his face and started licking his cheek, making Daryl frown with closed eyes, his voice hoarse and thick with sleep.

"Damn, girl... why's yer nose so damn cold? Slow down..." Teddy burst into a fit of giggles and carefully pulled the dog away from Daryl's face a little. She kissed him gently on the lips and rubbed her thumb over his cheekbone.

"Happy Birthday, honey. Time to wake up and say hi to your present."

Daryl slowly blinked his eyes open, rubbing them and then blinking again, trying to get them to focus and once he realized what he was looking at, his eyes widened.

"That a dog?"

"Yep. This little lady is Roxie. She's a Great Dane and she is four months old and most importantly. She is all yours. Happy birthday, my love."

Daryl didn't know where to look first, at his smiling girlfriend or his dog. HIS dog. "No way!" he breathed, while he sat up. He was shocked. He carefully reached out and let Roxie sniff his hand. "She's mine? You're giving me a dog?"

"Yes. She's yours... ours, if you want her to be." Teddy smiled while she bit her lip nervously.

"No fucking way!" A huge smile started to light up Daryl's face, all the way up to his eyes. "I've always wanted a dog. Hey girl,... hi." Roxie let Daryl stroke her head and scratch behind her ear and she eagerly climbed across his lap, sniffing his face again. Teddy swore she heard an actual, honest to God giggle erupt from Daryl's mouth when Roxie started licking his face again. "Aw, c'mon girl, I appreciate it, but I prefer water and a washcloth." Daryl laughed and dodged her attempts of licking him again.

Teddy had tears in her eyes, because Daryl looked so happy and was smiling so damn big that her heart almost burst from being filled with too much joy. "You like her?"

"You kiddin'? I love her. She's perfect." Daryl grinned and proudly stroked his hands over her soft fur.

"I'm glad. Time to get used to another high-maintenance girl in your life." Teddy giggled and when Daryl looked at her a little confused she elaborated. "She needs special food, because Great Danes grow so rapidly and she needs special beds so her bones don't hurt when she gets bigger and she needs to go to doggie school, because a dog that big needs to be well-behaved and listen to its owner."

Daryl's smile fell and he looked at Roxie deep in thought for a moment. "How am I gonna pay for all that?"

"It's all taken care of, baby. My parents bought like 10 of those beds for her, so she can stay comfortably at everybody's place. Here, Billy's, their house... we also bought a ton of food for her already and the school's been taken care of as well. I called around and I found her in a shelter in Atlanta. She and her mom and brothers and sisters were found on the side of the road when they were just a couple of days old. Maggie and her dad Hershel picked her up from the shelter two days ago. He's a vet, so he checked her over and made sure she had all her shots and everything. He'll also treat her in the future. Family discount, we'll only have to pay for meds if she needs them. Billy and I also talked to your boss, you can bring her to work as long as she is being a good dog and doesn't get in the way. It's really all taken care of, all you need to do for your little girl here is love her and spoil her rotten." Teddy beamed, proud that she had been able to pull it all off without him suspecting anything.

"Girl,..." Daryl was speechless. "How,... I-I can't ever repay y'all for this."

"Repay us? Daryl, it's your gift from us. You don't have to repay us for anything. We all wanted to give this to you for your birthday."

"But I can't give you anything like this when it's your birthday..." he stuttered. Teddy sighed and then kissed him hard and long until Roxie nudged them apart.

"Daryl, this isn't about money. We've talked about this. I wouldn't even care if you wouldn't give me anything at all for my birthday, because I already have what I want the most: You."

Daryl sucked his breath in sharply at hearing her words. Tears were stinging his eyes, but he quickly blinked them away. He didn't know what to say, so he grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her to him for another kiss, pouring everything he had into it and it had Teddy practically melting in his hands. Roxie soon started whining and nudging her nose against their faces again until they broke the kiss. "Hey girl, calm down, no need ta get jealous, ya hear?" Daryl smiled and pressed a kiss against Roxie's head and Teddy scoffed jokingly.

"Daddy's girl already. That's gonna be fun for mommy." Teddy kissed them both before she climbed off the bed and clapped her hands. "Now come on you two, surprise breakfast is waiting."

"Don't think ya can call it surprise breakfast when ya announce that there's gon' be a surprise breakfast." Daryl chuckled while he and Roxie got out of bed.

"Maybe, but I didn't say what we'll be having for breakfast, so it is a surprise after all!" Teddy argued happily. "Now get your ass in the bathroom and get ready, I'll make the coffee."

"Yes ma'am." Daryl mock-saluted before he grabbed some sweatpants and a t-shirt and did what he was told.

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Daryl had never ever been this happy his entire life. Everybody had bent over backwards to make this day special for him. It was new and a little overwhelming, but absolutely awesome and mind-blowing. He couldn't believe that Rosario and Bernadette had gotten up earlier to make him his favorite breakfast items and that Teddy had gotten a cake for him. By 10 am that morning he was already so stuffed that he, Teddy and Roxie took a long, long walk to burn some calories and get some fresh air. He was happier than a kid on Christmas morning when he held Roxie's leash in one hand and Teddy's hand in the other, proudly showing off the beautiful ladies in his life. Teddy told him that Hershel had said that it was extremely important for a dog like Roxie to be well socialized with people and other animals, because if dogs that size weren't socialized well enough and they start feeling stressed out in the company of people or other animals, they might start biting and that can be very dangerous and even deadly in some cases. It was the reason why they would also get a cat within the next week or two. Daryl had just laughed a little and teased Teddy about making up excuses to get herself a cat, too, but of course he knew that she was being serious. He was kind of looking forward to having a full house, so to speak.

Later when they went over to Teddy's parents to have dinner with them and Billy and Maggie, Daryl was once again sheer overwhelmed by the outpouring of love. Bernadette hugged the hell out of him until Gerald jokingly cleared his throat and telling her that that hug had lasted long enough. Although Daryl was a little embarrassed, he had chuckled along with everybody else. Rosario kept it professional and didn't hug him, but she was furiously enthusiastic when she shook his hand over and over and wished him a happy birthday. When they had dinner and Daryl looked around the table at all the people who were happy to spend time with him on his birthday, how they shared stories and laughed and all cuddled and played with Roxie happily, he felt like rushing to the bathroom to lock himself in and have a good cry, because he was so damn happy. Nobody had ever given a shit about his birthday and without Teddy and her family it just would have been another step closer to 40, but what they had done for him was incredible. They hadn't just given him stuff for Roxie, he also got a ton of chocolate, some band t-shirts and a couple of dvds. It had been perfect. After dinner they had a huge firework in the garden and Daryl and Billy were like kids in a candy store when they launched rocket after rocket and Teddy and Maggie just loved watching them be like little boys again. When they had launched their last rocket they stayed in the backyard and watched the sky and the fireworks all the neighbors were shooting into the sky. Daryl had his arms wrapped tightly around Teddy's shoulders from behind. Everybody was looking at the sky, so nobody noticed the little tear that finally escaped Daryl's eye, no longer able to hold it in. He quickly wiped it away and bit his tongue hard to keep himself from full-on crying. He was more emotional than he'd like to admit. He was truly happy, but with it came the fear of fucking it all up and losing it again. His grip on Teddy tightened and he pulled her back into him even more, like he was trying to melt them together. He was now even more scared than before of ever losing her and the depth and intensity of that fear scared him more than just a little.

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"Yer mine." he growled later, in the middle of the night, when he pushed himself into her slowly and deeply, over and over again. "Say it. Tell me that yer mine." he urged her, squeezing her hands that were intertwined with his and rested next to her head.

"I'm yours." Teddy gasped, the air rushing from her longs when he delivered a particularly deep thrust.

"Again. Say ma name. I need ta hear ya say it again, darlin'. Need ta know that ya mean me, when ya say it."

"I'm yours, Daryl. Awww FUCK!" she moaned loudly when he hit her cervix with another deep thrust.

"Yeah, that's it, darlin'. I'm the only one who can make ya enjoy that. Only me. Ain't ever gon' be nobody else for ya, right?"

"Never. Only you, baby." she breathed while she rolled her hips up to meet his thrusts, not being able to get enough of him, even though he was already as deep inside of her as he can go. "You're all I want. All I need."

"Good." he murmured into her ear and started to shift his legs until he had found the right position. He pushed himself inside of her balls-deep one last time and stayed there, pressing the tip of his cock firmly against her cervix. He loosened his hold on her right hand, only to grab her wrist and guide her hand between their bodies to rest on her heated core, right above where they were joined.

"Touch yerself." he purred in a deep voice. "Good. Now be a good girl and squeeze 'em muscles for me." Teddy obeyed without hesitation and let her muscles contract around his engorged and rock-hard cock while she rubbed her clit with two fingers.

"Shit yeah." Daryl hissed and started moving again, but this time he barely moved out of her at all, he stayed buried to the hilt inside of her and just kept bumping the tip against the end of her, while her muscles milked him rhythmically. "Fuck girl,... gonna make ya cum so hard." Daryl picked up some speed and unknowingly distracted Teddy for a moment, because he started to moan and groan up a storm. He was always vocal, but tonight he was really letting go and it was sexy as hell.

He clutched her hand and her hip, his eyes were screwed shut tightly while his breathing turned erratic. "Fuck yeah, gon' make me cum, shit girl that's it, don't stop, harder, squeeze that sweet lil' pussy harder, damn yer so fucking wet, yes yes yeeeeessss." the words just kept flowing out of him in breathless gasps and they caused Teddy to rub herself furiously, desperately wanting to cum right with him. Daryl ground his hips into her in earnest, humping her like an animal, just as desperate for release as she was.

"Awww shit yes... yes girl... yes... gonna cum hard,... fuck... oohh... ooooohh FUCK TEDDY!"

Teddy's eyes shot open in surprise. He'd said her name, no way she would have missed that. It helped triggered her own release, which almost paled in comparison to Daryl's violent orgasm. She had never seen or felt him come apart like that. He was shaking like a leaf and breathing harshly when he collapsed on top of her, completely drained, both physically and emotionally. Teddy wrapped one arm around him and buried her other hand in his hair at the back of his neck, massaging his scalp soothingly while he came down from he caught his breath and calmed down.

When they both were able to breathe normally again their mouths pressed together and their tongues tangled in a passionate and deep kiss while they held each other as tightly as they could.

"I love you, Daryl." Teddy said softly against his lips. Her words were met with silence, and although she felt a little twinge of disappointment, she was okay with that. Baby steps. He was getting there.

Daryl kissed her one last time, before he scooted to the edge of the bed and slipped on his boxers. He opened the bedroom door in case Roxie wanted to join them in there and then immediately dropped back down on the bed and slipped underneath the covers on his back. Teddy kissed his lips gently before she rolled over on her other side, assuming her usual position while Daryl's hand found it's place on her butt.

"Good night, my love." she whispered sleepily and closed her eyes.

"Good night." Daryl muttered and gently squeezed the soft flesh underneath his hand while he stared at the ceiling. He was tired, but too much had happened and his mind needed some more time to process before it would let him fall into a blissful sleep.

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**AN2: Thank you for reading and supporting this story by following and favoriting. And please keep those reviews coming, they are a joy to read. Thank you lovely snowbird for your kind words. They always bring a smile to my face.**


	16. Chapter 16

**I consider the following chapter to be more of a filler chapter. I am setting some things up for the future, don't worry too much about our favorite couple ;-) **

**Check out the tumblr for this story for visuals and sneak peeks. It's at _jaylee8301 dot tumblr dot com_Be warned, though, it's +18 and NSFW.**

**I am using one of my favorite lines from a recent episode of the show in this chapter. I should probably mention that I don't own anything except for the Robertsons.**

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"Is it true that the lady doctor has Mr. Dixon for a boyfriend and that he is a hilly billy from the back of the woods and that's why I can't go see her anymore?"

Gerald Robertson's eyes snapped up to look at 6 year old Molly Henderson in surprise, his eyebrows were almost all the way up by his hairline when his gaze turned towards Molly's mother Hannah, who turned a deep shade of red at her daughter's question.

"A hilly billy from the back of the woods you say?" he asked Molly, while he fixed Hannah with a bit of a hard stare for a moment.

"Yes, momma said he's mean and that he is a hood lump."

"A hood lump? Are you sure that she didn't say hoodlum?" Gerald asked the girl and forced a little smile for the sake of the child.

"Yeah, that's it." Molly smiled triumphantly, while Hannah squirmed uncomfortably in the corner next to table.

"Molly, I said no such thing." she said and Gerald had to keep from scoffing at her blatant lie.

"Yes, you told Daddy when he asked you which doctor would look at my foot."

"It is not polite to eavesdrop, Molly. We will talk about that later." Hannah admonished her daughter and didn't dare look at Gerald. She wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole.

"You know, Molly, the lady doctor is my daughter."

"She is?" Molly seemed excited by the news. "And you know her boyfriend? Is he mean? Because he looks mean."

"Yes she is and I know her boyfriend, Mr. Dixon. I know people say that he is mean and you are right, he does LOOK a little mean, but I can assure you, that Mr. Dixon is a very nice man. He's got a dog now, you know? Her name is Roxie and she is going to be a really really big dog. Big enough for you to ride on one day. So when you see Mr. Dixon and Roxie on the street, you don't have to be scared. They are not mean, they are in fact two of the most gentle souls you will ever find in all of Jasper." Gerald smiled at the little girl, but that smile vanished quickly when Hanna scoffed.

"You're wife sang a different tune not too long ago."

"My wife and I made a mistake, but we realized the error of our ways with a little help from our children and were smart enough to overcome our prejudices and foolishness and our family life is now better for having Daryl Dixon in it. He is a fine young man, who is nothing like his reputation or the rest of his family. He's been treated unfairly all these years and I wish I would have been a better person and would have given him a chance instead of judging him as just another one of the Dixons. At least I raised two people who were smart enough to look behind the curtain and get to know that man with an open mind. I hope you will be able to do the same for your daughter. Also, Molly would be in better hands if you would let her be treated by my daughter. She specialized in pediatrics and I will consult with her anyway, so you either have to go to the clinic from now on or you let her treat your daughter."

"That sounds an awful lot like an ultimatum, Dr. Robertson." Hannah spat with narrowed eyes.

"It is not an ultimatum, it is just a choice you will have to make."

"I guess we will be taking our chances at the clinic then. Come on, Molly. Let's go. These people can't do anything for you here." Hannah grabbed her daughter's hand and dragged the confused girl off the exam table.

"Good luck to you." Gerald sighed and jumped a little when Hannah slammed the door a little too hard on her way out. Two more patients lost and Gerald knew it was his own fault. His and Bernadette's. She hadn't kept her mouth shut when Teddy and Daryl had started dating, badmouthing both Daryl AND Teddy around town. It had been a horrible thing to do and Gerald had been against it, but unfortunately it was Bernadette who was wearing the pants in the Robertson household and once she started, she could not be stopped. If they continued losing patients they might find themselves in trouble soon. Gerald not as much as Teddy. He was 62, if he would have to close down the practice due to lack of patients, he would just retire, but Teddy would be out of a job and would very probably have a hard time finding another one around this area. It happened more often now that they were closing early in the afternoon, but so far neither Teddy nor Gerald had uttered a word to each other about it. There was no need, they both knew what would happen if it would get even worse.

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Teddy was doing laundry in the laundry room in the basement of the apartment building while Daryl was in the kitchen making them dinner. It was business as usual,until she emptied out Daryl's pants pockets. Between dollar bills, quarters and dog treats there was a folded up pink piece of paper. It looked harmless enough, but Teddy subconsciously knew that it would be anything but. Her fingers were trembling when she took the piece of paper and unfolded it, her blood freezing in her veins when she read what was written on it. "Sandra 692-1545" and in the right corner above the name was a little heart. Teddy felt like the room was spinning. Jealously rushed through her with a vengeance. Her mother hadn't been lying when she had told Daryl that Teddy was a jealous one. It was pretty much her biggest flaw. It hadn't always been this bad, but she had been cheated on twice. Once in her teenage years by her very first boyfriend and another time shortly before she'd gotten pregnant with Milo. It had been the reason why she had gone to that party and had gotten trashed in the first place. She'd hooked up with a guy, she could barely remember his face, she didn't even know his name, she hadn't cared, she had just needed to get fucked. 6 weeks later she'd discovered that the guy had knocked her up. Not the best of circumstances, but she had still been excited and had kept the baby. So as much as she believed that Daryl would never cheat on her, this was something her brain just wasn't able to ignore. All the bad memories were rushing through her mind, all the hurt, the feeling of being worthless and replaceable, she felt like she couldn't breathe right, her chest got so tight from panic.

She forced herself to take several deep breaths and put the note on the shelf next to the detergent while she kept putting their dirty clothes in the washing machine. She almost dropped the opened bottle of detergent into the machine because her hands wouldn't stop shaking. Even more deep breaths followed while she finished up the task at hand, then she went back up to her apartment and stopped in the kitchen door, watching the love of her life fixing them dinner. It's been another week and he still wouldn't tell her how he felt about her. She usually wasn't hellbent on having guys tell her their feelings, but in this situation, him being mum about that very thing rang an alarm bell in her head.

'Maybe this is the reason why. He found a better one.' An evil voice in the back of her mind told her, making the jealousy increase ten-fold.

Daryl knew that Teddy was watching him. First off she wasn't very quiet when she moved around and also Roxie had run towards her to get some lovin' since her Daddy was busy cooking.

"Wanna take a picture?" he smirked without turning around.

"No thanks." Teddy's voice made Daryl frown. She sounded weird. He turned around and looked at her questioningly.

"What's wrong?" She was pale and he couldn't read the expression her eyes held. She seemed sad somehow.

"You forgot to take this out of your pocket." Teddy put the pink paper on the kitchen counter and Daryl immediately figured out what was going on. Of course that had to look weird to her.

"Yeah, ya can just throw that in the trash."

"Why? Already programed it into your phone?" Teddy tried not to sound accusatory, but she knew she wasn't really succeeding.

"Pfff, why would I?"

"Then why didn't YOU just throw it in the trash?"

"Forgot it was in there." Daryl got nervous, but not because he felt like he had done something wrong, but because Teddy's eyes were a little unsettling.

"Who is she anyway?"

"New girl at work." Daryl explained, wincing a little when she saw her eyes widen. Maybe he shouldn't have taken Billy's advice about keeping her in the dark about the fact that the new guy at work was actually a girl.

"New GIRL at work? You said it was a guy! Since when are women mechanics?" Teddy looked at him incredulously.

"It's a new world or shit like that. Look, I didn't want ya ta get upset. Yer brother said it would be better that way. That ya get jealous and shit." Daryl said defensively, internally cursing Billy, and himself for listening to Billy in the first place.

"You know what makes me get jealous? This shit! That you kept the number." she pointed to the note on the counter. "And lying about the guy being a girl is only making it worse."

"I told you, I forgot it was in there."

"Why'd you even put it there in the first place? Why not throw it out right away? You like her back or something? Because she is clearly into you judging from the fucking heart and everything."

"Man, I'm too tired for this shit." Daryl groaned while he pinched the bridge of his nose between two fingers. "You're outta yer damn mind if ya think I'd step out on ya."

"That's exactly what the last guy who cheated on me said." Teddy uttered, her voice breaking when tears threatened to spill over and run down her cheeks.

Daryl scoffed and shook his head. "Guess that means, that no matter what I say, ya ain't gon' believe me anyway. Ya either trust me or ya don't, woman. Make up yer mind. Jus' cause that girl is sweet on me it don't mean that I'd get maself a piece of that tail. I ain't ma brother and you should know that by now. We gonna eat now or what?"

"That's it?" Teddy couldn't believe that he was done talking about it and would just go over to having dinner like that.

"Yeah, that's it. Ain't nothing more to it. Like I said, ya either trust me or ya don't. Let me know which one it is when ya made yer decision. Now sit yer ass down and eat." He said when he slammed their plates on the table with enough force to make some of the food fall off the plates and onto the table.

"I'm not hungry." Teddy mumbled softly, staring at a spot on the floor while she fumbled with her necklace.

"Fine." Daryl spat almost viciously. He grabbed her plate and threw it in the trash, literally he whole plate, and from the sound of it he had used enough force to make it shatter inside the trash can. Teddy jumped, her eyes snapping up, looking at him with a mixture of anger and confusion.

"Why the hell are YOU mad?"

"Ya kiddin' me? Are ya fucking kiddin' me? Why am I mad? Oh let's see. I never made or received no suspicious phone calls. Never been home late from work. Never had no dates or nothing with nobody else, I spend every fucking minute I ain't working with ya and still ya don't trust me and think I'm fucking around on you?" he was yelling loudly, taking his anger out on her with all he had.

He had a point. He was always with her when he wasn't at work and he was seriously not the kind of guy who would bang someone at work. He would be way too nervous of somebody walking in on them. She felt horrible for thinking even for a second that he'd cheated.

"Shit." she sighed after burying her face in her hands. "I'm sorry. It hap-"

"Yeah. That's what I thought." Daryl scoffed, not letting her finish. It pissed him off to no end that she of all people would think he'd be like Merle and fuck everything in sight as soon as they sent a smile his way. "Jus' like yer damn momma. Makin' a big fucking drama out of nothing."

"Hey, I said I was sorry, no need to get mean, okay?"

"Yeah, 'cause you're being so fucking nice right now. So what now? Gonna follow me ta work? Gonna check ma phone? Look at ma phone bill? That's what y'all do, right? Trust but verify. Here, lemme help ya out, so you don't have ta waste time snoopin' through ma stuff!" He shoved his hand into his right pant pocket and dug out his phone, throwing it at an unsuspecting Teddy, causing the phone to hit her chest before it fell to the floor. After the loud clanging noise of the phone hitting the floor had resounded through the kitchen an eerie silence followed. Daryl took a deep breath, the red-hot rage slowly draining out of his body. He rubbed his eyes and blinked, trying to clear his vision that seemed to have been consumed by his anger as well. He looked back at Teddy and felt a sharp stab going through his heart, because she looked like she was freaking terrified of him.

"Shit, Teddy..."

"What the hell was that?" She muttered under her breath. "Sure, I deserved some anger for even thinking you would do that to me, but this just got way out of control. What the fuck Daryl?"

"I dunno." Daryl rubbed his face in his hands, not even understanding himself what had happened or why he'd gotten THAT angry. "Can't stand that ya would think of me like that, I guess. Ain't nothin' going on with that girl. Never will neither. She's fucking annoying, but Mike wants me ta show her the ropes 'cause I've been there the longest. Slipped me her number a couple days ago, shoved it right in ma damn pocket. I told her off, forgot all about that stupid note after that. Fuck woman,... ya really think I'd go looking elsewhere fer a quick lay?"

"No." she admitted, her voice still shaky. "I had guys cheat on me twice. My mind just automatically went there when I saw that damn number. I know you're not that kind of guy, the rational part of my brain just got shut down for a minute there. I'm so scared of losing you, Daryl. It was like that stupid pink paper was mocking me, telling me that you found someone better."

"There ain't no one better. Told ya a million times that yer all I want and need, girl. Why can't ya fucking believe that for once?"

"I'm trying."

"That's just it. Just like when we started fucking. Ya ain't s'pposed ta try, yer s'pposed ta fucking trust me with shit. Let go and enjoy. We been together three months now. We're goddamn living together without even fucking talking about it once and it's fucking working, ain't it? It is. It works, because it's different from what we had before with other people. This is how it's s'pposed ta be. We'd be fucking crazy to turn our backs on this. Ain't nothing like this out there for us with anyone else. The two of us, that's how it's s'pposed ta be and it pisses me off that ya don't believe it."

"I don't believe it? I told you that I loved you how many times now?"

"That's it, ain't it? Jus' cause I haven't said it back ya think I ain't into this as much as you. Right?" Daryl knew he had hit the bulls-eye, when she shrugged and fumbled with the hem of her top nervously. "Lemme tell ya something then. Words don't mean a thing, darlin'. Everybody can say the words and fake it, makin' it look like they mean it. I ain't one for sayin' it."

"Fine. So what you're saying is that you're never gonna say it?"

"I'm saying: Pay attention. Signs are all there, ya just gotta know how ta read them. Ya best start figuring that out."

Teddy nodded mutely and Daryl turned toward the table and grabbed his plate and dumped the food in the trashcan, before he let the now empty plate fall into the sink with a loud clang. "I'm going to bed." he mumbled on his way out of the kitchen.

"It's not even seven."

"So what? Got a fucking headache." Those were his last words before Teddy heard the bathroom door shut. She didn't doubt that he had a headache, the whole thing had given her one as well. Even worse was the anxiousness she felt, because she had no idea where they stood now and if he was still mad at her or not. While Daryl laid down she started cleaning the kitchen and when she was done she went to her home office and went through the mail and paid her bills and surfed the internet for a while, only leaving her laptop for the 15 minutes it took her to get the laundry from the basement and hang it on the clothesline.

She didn't know what made her look up a couple hours later, but when she did, she jumped in shock, because Daryl stood in the dark doorway, only clad in his boxers, one shoulder leaning against the frame, arms crossed over his bare chest. She couldn't make out his face in the near dark, the only light in the room came from the screen of her laptop.

"Jesus Christ, baby. You startled me. How long have you been standing there?" Teddy gasped and reflexively put her hand on her chest right on top of her fast beating heart.

"A while. Comin' ta bed soon?" he asked quietly, the gruff edge gone from his voice.

"Do you even want me there after tonight? I can sleep on the couch. Done it before."

"Don't be ridiculous." Daryl uncrossed his arms and pushed himself off the door-frame. He stretched his hand out towards her while he rounded her desk. "C'mon. It's getting late and ya look fucking exhausted." Also, he hadn't been able to sleep at all without her by his side. He'd missed her, even though they were in the same apartment. It had been a strange day and all he'd wanted ever since his lunch break was to be with her, being in each other's arms and forget about the rest of the world. Unfortunately Sandra and her stupid fucking note had ruined that. Not only did he have to deal with the obnoxious woman, who couldn't take a hint, at work every day, he would also have to deal with Merle being back on the streets soon. He'd gotten the call from his brother at work. He'd definitely get out sooner, all his lawyer would have to work out with the parole people was when. It wasn't what Daryl would call "happy news". It would only make his life harder and Merle would probably do everything in his power to try and fuck up Daryl's new life. He was angry about it and he had taken it out on Teddy, when she had given him the opportunity with her jealousy and implied mistrust.

On some days Daryl felt like they'd been together forever, it made him forget that it hadn't been THAT long and that they hadn't worked out all the kinks yet. They still didn't know every tiny little detail about each other and they still surprised each other by getting to see new sides. Sides they didn't know how to handle yet and it sometimes resulted in a fight. Daryl hated fighting with her, but as weird as it sounded, he had come to appreciate the fights. He had learned that fighting didn't mean that the relationship was bad and automatically over, but that fighting could actually be healthy. They were a passionate couple, they had their disagreements, but at least they didn't keep their emotions and opinions bottled up, they let it out, they talked about it, got the issue out of the way and made up fairly quick. It was better than couples who kept everything in and acted like everything was fine, fooling themselves and grew to resent the other which drove a wedge between them and made them distance themselves from their partner.

Teddy put her hand in his and let him pull her out of her office chair. They both sighed a breath of relief when Teddy buried her face in the crook of his neck, inhaling his wonderful, masculine scent, and kissing the soft skin underneath her lips. Daryl wrapped his arms around her and hugged her as hard as he could.

"I'm sorry 'bout earlier. I overreacted." Daryl mumbled against her hair.

"So did I. I'm sorry, too. I trust you. Got a little irrational back there."

"You and me both. Was the whole thing with Merle getting out, that already put me on edge and then you with that fucking note."

"Yeah, it was too much to handle at once, I get it." Teddy pressed another kiss to his neck before she looked up at him, a little whimper escaping her when he kissed her on the lips. Reconnecting always felt so damn good. "But honey, don't lie to me about girls at work, okay? Don't listen to Billy." Teddy was pretty sure that Billy had just been joking about not telling her and that Daryl might have misinterpreted it as serious advice. She would have to talk to her brother about that.

"It was stupid. Don't know what I was thinking. We should never ever listen to any of them ever again. Always gets us in trouble."

"Right, there's definitely a pattern there." She kissed him again and squeezed him with all her strength. "Don't stress out about your brother. We'll handle it. Whatever he'll try to throw at us, we'll deal."

"Yeah." Daryl nodded in agreement and silently prayed for all the strength in the world. Teddy hadn't met Merle, she had no idea what a force of destruction his older brother truly was. The thought of Merle messing with their relationship really freaked him out. And like that wasn't enough, now it seemed like other people had the potential to be a danger to their being together, too. It sucked. Maybe they should just pack up and move away one day. This town could be pretty poisonous.

Daryl disentangled from her embrace, took hold of her hand and pulled her to the bedroom. Roxie was curled up in her own bed, just looking up at them for a moment when they entered, before she went back to sleep. Teddy undressed and slipped underneath the covers, joining Daryl, who immediately spooned her from behind, wrapping his strong arm around her waist. This was new, they never went to sleep cuddled together like that, but after today Teddy happily accepted the change. Daryl nuzzled his nose into her hair, nudging it aside a little to be able to reach her neck with his lips. He pressed soft kisses to the curve of her neck and to her shoulder, while his hand slowly slid up and down over her belly. Teddy reached her hand behind her and between them, palming his flaccid member through the cotton fabric of his boxers, eliciting a little, quiet grunt from Daryl.

"We ain't gotta..." He sighed against her neck, but his hips were already moving, pushing his swelling cock harder against her hand.

"I want to. I need you." She slipped her hand inside his boxers and wrapped it around his growing erection. She loved feeling him grow and harden against her palm and Daryl knew he was a lucky son of a bitch, because she loved playing with him and often initiated some serious worshiping sessions. After a few strokes and practiced caresses of her thumb on his tip and frenulum he stood at full attention. She pushed her own underwear down while Daryl took care of his boxers, then he nudged one leg between hers, pushing them up a little towards her chest for better access. He grit his teeth when he pushed the bulbous head of his cock into her opening, having to use a bit more force than usual to get it in.

"Yer not ready, darlin'. Yer gon' be sore." he whispered breathlessly against her shoulder while he let his hand slide between her legs to help her along.

"You know that I don't give a fuck, I want this. I want to feel that you are mine every single time I sit down or walk around tomorrow."

Daryl groaned in response and bit her shoulder roughly. He pushed himself inside his girl hard and Teddy gladly welcomed the myriad of pin pricks that assaulted her with a blissful moan. It made the sweet torture of his fingers on her clit so much better. He kept the pace slow, it wasn't about getting off, but more about being as close as they could possibly be and giving each other strength and comfort through the physical connection. After his climax they stayed right the way they were and fell asleep with him still inside of her, not letting each other go for the whole night.

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The next morning they both felt much better. They woke up in a good mood and playful banter flowed back and forth between them while they got their Saturday morning breakfast ready. Daryl told Teddy about Sandra and how she kept clinging to him and couldn't take a hint even though everybody had told her that she should back off because he had a girlfriend.

"Does she try touching you during work?"

"Ya mean ma dick?"

"No, I don't mean your dick. Why? Oh my God, did she touch your dick?" Teddy's eyes grew wide, but Daryl only chuckled.

"Nah, course not. Just wanted ta know what ya meant by touching."

"I meant harmless touching. Like, does she touch your arm or your back repeatedly?"

"Yeah, it's fucking annoying. Keeps looking at me weird and keeps flirting and I swear, I ain't fucking encouraging her."

"I know, you're not that type of guy. You know, you should tell Mike, he can fire her for sexual harassment."

"I jus' said, she ain't touched ma dick."

"And she doesn't have to, baby. If she keeps coming on to you like that, even though she knows that you don't want it, then it is sexual harassment. You said it's annoying right? You don't feel comfortable working with her? Then she needs to go, Daryl. It's as simple as that. Don't look at me like that. Sexual harassment can also happen to guys. Women can be pretty hardcore in that department as well."

"It feels weird. Ain't never happen ta me before." Daryl frowned while he grabbed another piece of bacon and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Probably because you never had a woman for a colleague before. Trust me, baby, you ARE sex on fucking legs. If there would be more girls around you can be sure it might have happened more than this once. You had ME drooling pretty much from the first moment on and I'm not that easily impressed."

Daryl grinned and pulled her into his lap to kiss her hard. "I won't ever understand what ya saw in me that mornin', all I did was being a jerk, but hey, yer bad taste in guys is my fucking gain."

"I did have bad taste in guys, but you turned that around, baby. Just look at my family. Everybody loves you and that certainly never happened before."

"Nah, yer momma just loves ma guns." Daryl joked, making Teddy laugh and shudder at the same time.

"She sure loves those, but they seriously love all of you, just like I do, albeit in a very different way. Thank God, otherwise it would be quite disturbing." Teddy gave him a peck on the lips before she got off his lap and went to fix herself another coffee. "Hey, uhm, I was thinking,..."

"Bout what?" Daryl asked while he chewed on another piece of bacon.

"You were right about what you said last night."

"Which part? A lotta things were said last night." He looked at her back, while she was busy with the machine.

"You were right about the fact that we've been living together for pretty much the whole time we've been dating... You only go to your apartment to get your mail or your hunting gear before we go out to the woods. And it works, you were right about that, too. We never talked about it, it just happened naturally and it's going well, so I was wondering... Why don't you give up your apartment and move in here all the way?" Teddy didn't know why she was so nervous about asking him, but it somehow was a big thing to her. She had never lived with anybody else before and she felt like him moving in officially would make their relationship even more official.

"Makes sense. I thought about it, too, actually." Daryl admitted hesitantly. "But what about Merle? He'll need a place when he gets out."

"That's not your problem, Daryl. You need your paycheck for yourself, you can't keep paying for him forever. You have dreams and they will only come true if you finally start cutting him off. He needs to learn to get by on his own. Other inmates don't have the luxury of having a brother who pays for everything and they need to start fresh once they get out and work for what they want and need. It will be good for him to be on his own, take some responsibility. He'll figure it out. And even if he doesn't, that's still not your problem. You have a job and a home, you work hard for everything you have every day, you don't have to take care of him, he is old enough to do it all by himself. You're sweet for worrying, but don't enable him. It's not doing either of you any favors." Teddy looked at him imploringly, hoping to God that she was getting through to him. She wanted Daryl to have everything he ever wanted and someday he would be able to have it, but it would require him to let his brother pay for his own mistakes. Daryl had to show Merle that he would no longer let his older brother use him anymore.

"Pretty much got everything I need here already. Just the hunting gear, the knives, crossbow, guns is still there. Everything else can stay there for all I care. Ya sure ya want this stuff in yer apartment?"

"Yeah, we can put it in my office. You have some kind of rack for them, right?"

"I do. We could do it today. I'll give ma notice and then we take what's mine and put it in the truck, take it here. The rest we'll just dump in the trash. Ain't got much stuff anyway. We need ta go shopping later, so we can swing by the post office and I'll put in for a change of address. We can get it all done today, didn't have no plans anyway.

"Sounds perfect to me. Should I call Billy? Don't you need to clear out your furniture, too?"

"Yeah, that's right. Think he'll be up for it?"

"Yeah, why not. Maggie will help out, too. And I can call my mom and tell her to have Rosario prep some food and iced tea for us. It's fucking hot already and we don't need anyone collapsing from dehydration. We'll have Maggie and Billy over for dinner to say thanks tonight. We can order in, have a nice evening. What do you think?"

"Sounds good." Daryl smiled, happy with her plan. He had to admit that it was kind of awesome to finally have a family who did things like this and Billy was turning out to be the brother he never had. They were really getting closer. Still Daryl had decided that he should no longer take any "advice" from Billy where Teddy was concerned. It just never ended well. "Alright, let's do this, darlin'. Time for both of us to give up the bachelor's pad."

"Oh honey, I gave mine up months ago and it was the best decision of my life." Teddy beamed at him, while he stood up from his chair and walked over to where she was leaning against the kitchen counter. His strong arms wrapped around her shoulders and he kissed her gently. Something about the way he did it made heat pool low in her belly and her heart started beating faster when he looked into her eyes.

"I love..." he started and Teddy's breath hitched in her throat. "that ya think like that." he smirked when Teddy tried to shove him in exasperation, but he only held her tighter and and kissed her face all over.

"That was just plain evil, you jerk." Teddy complained, but it was in good humor. She had thought about what he had said, that the signs were there, she just had to figure out how to read them. All the little things he did for her came to mind, the way she caught him looking at her sometimes, the way he took care of her, it was all right there and it spoke louder than words, she had just been too caught up in her insecurities to pay attention. He loved her and he showed her every damn day.

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**AN: Whohoooo 100 followers! Thank you everybody for supporting this story. This my most successful one yet. Glad so many of you enjoy it. (And yes I know, it's not much compared to other stories out there, but I appreciate every single one of you who gives this story a try.)**

**Dear Snowbird, thank you for yet again a wonderful review.  
**


	17. Chapter 17

**I absolutely loved writing this chapter. I hope you will have just as much fun reading it.**

**If you haven't already, feel free to check the tumblr for this story. jaylee8301 dot tumblr dot com**

**It's NSFW due to graphic content, so be warned. Enjoy. **

**I'm up for group therapy after tonight's episode, btw. I get the feeling we'll need it.**

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Billy and Maggie had helped them move Daryl out of his old apartment, but they had to decline the dinner invitation, because they had already been invited to dinner at the farm with Maggie's family. Daryl and Billy had carried down the heavy furniture, like the raggedy old couch and the couple of shelves he'd had, while the girls had put stuff that Daryl had wanted and needed to take in boxes and put them in the car. Bernadette had asked Daryl to bring his old furniture to her, because she could use it for her art projects, so he and Billy took it there and Teddy and Maggie took the boxes back to Teddy's apartment.

After a nice lunch that Rosario had made for them, Maggie and Billy had left and Teddy and Daryl had taken care of their grocery shopping and other errands. Last but not least was the trip to the post office, where Daryl put in for a change of address and without even really knowing why, they were both grinning like fools when they left the post office, their linked hands swinging back and forth between them on their way to his truck.

"Know where we're going now?" Teddy giggled happily, barely able to contain herself when she looked at a smiling Daryl.

"OUR apartment?" His smile grew even wider, baring his cute fangs. Teddy seriously had a thing for them and every time he smiled that big she wanted to cry and jump his bones at the same time. It filled her with so much joy to see him that happy and, of course, he was just so goddamn hot and adorable, that she had a hard time keeping her hands off of him.

"Exactly. Mmm, I love the sound of that!" They had just reached his truck when Teddy couldn't help herself and she wrapped her arms around Daryl and kissed him lovingly. She pulled her lips away from his soon, though, knowing that he wasn't comfortable with making out in public. "Sorry." she grinned, rubbing the tip of her nose against his, while he wrapped his muscled arms around her upper back.

"'s okay. Yer gon' get punished for that later!" he whispered with a grin. He winked at her, but realized too late that she wouldn't be able to see it with him wearing sunglasses to protect his eyes from the glaring summer sun.

"Looking forward to it." Teddy said in a low voice, teasingly letting her fingernails scrape down over his arms, leaving some light welts on his skin. They were totally caught up in each other and had forgotten everything around them, so they jumped apart when someone clearing their throat startled them out of their own little world.

"Unbelievable. Wants to be a respected town doctor, but is necking with that lowlife on the streets for everyone to watch her shameful behavior. No wonder her poor daddy will have to close the practice soon." An elderly couple was strolling by and the woman mock-whispered to her husband while they shot Teddy and Daryl dirty looks.

"Better watch where you're going, Mr. and Mrs. Coleman. We wouldn't want you to stumble and fall without a respected town doctor around to help you." Teddy wasn't angry at the couple for basically calling her a slut, she was furious because they had called Daryl a lowlife loud enough for her and Daryl to hear it. "Come on, baby, let's go."

She let go of Daryl and walked to the other side of his truck to get in. Daryl followed soon and started up the car and took off towards their apartment. It wasn't until he had pulled into his parking spot in front of their building, that he finally spoke up.

"Is it true? Yer daddy gonna have ta close up shop soon, 'cause'a me?" The dark sunglasses hid his eyes and the guilty expression in them.

"Not because of you, Daryl. Because people around here are judgmental jackasses. Don't worry about it, everything is going to be fine and you are not to blame for anything, alright?" Teddy tried to reassure him, but she knew he would keep blaming himself anyway.

"What chu gon' do if ya lose yer job? For real, this time. Ain't nobody hiring, we know that from the first time he fired ya."

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. We're fine for now. Forget about those old geezers. They don't have anything else to live for anymore than to run around town and spread gossip." She leaned over to him and kissed him sweetly on his soft lips. "Come on, gotta get these groceries put away and then we need to finish up getting you all settled in."

Daryl nodded silently, but quickly stole another kiss from her before she was able to pull away. He tried not to let those old fucks get to him, but it was easier said than done. They sure had succeeded in messing up their good mood a little for the moment.

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"Fucking Christ, woman. How were ya able ta find anything in here?" Daryl shook his head as he surveyed all the things that littered their bed and the floor of the bedroom now after he had pulled them out of her overstuffed closet. He needed a bit more space in her closet in order to be able to fit all his things in there as well, so he had decided to take everything out and reorganize, since Teddy was lacking some serious skills in that department. When she had done laundry, she'd just pile everything in there, not caring where it went. There were blouses, mixed together with bras, jeans and his boxers, all in one pile (albeit a pretty neat pile), but still, it was too messed up for his taste.

"It's called organized chaos, babe. I have a good memory, I remember where I put everything." Teddy shouted from the living room, where she was doing some ironing in front of the TV.

"Yeah? That why ya scramble around like a chicken with its head cut off every morning, trying ta find yer phone and shoes and shit?" he shot back smirking, while he tried to keep Roxie from jumping on the bed and knocking the boxes to the floor, he'd put there from the top shelf of Teddy's closet.

"Nooo, it's because Roxie hides my stuff so I can't go to work." Teddy laughed, making Daryl scoff out his own laugh at her made up excuse.

"Yeah right! That's your excuse now, but you been doin' it since way before we had her." Daryl chuckled, momentarily distracted by his banter with Teddy, so he didn't realize right away that Roxie had jumped on the bed again. "Hey girl, no. Down, c'mon. Aw shit, that's what I wanted to avoid." he sighed to himself. Roxie's jumping around had caused a couple of boxes to tumble off the bed, their contents now spilling all over the floor. "No more jumping on the bed, Rox! I mean it!" he said sternly to his baby girl, but he couldn't be mad at her, he loved her too damn much and when she looked up at him guiltily, he immediately broke down and crouched down to cuddle her. "Now, don't look at me like that. It's okay. Just be a good girl and don't jump on the bed or this will take forever."

Roxie nudged his face, giving him a kiss before she trudged out of the room, leaving him to clean up the mess she had made. Daryl straightened and looked over to the contents of one of the boxes that were laying on the floor now. He walked over and grabbed the box, putting back the things that had fallen out of it, then he took the box and put it on his lap after sitting down on the bed. He stared down at it for a moment, before he gingerly picked up the light gray-colored baby romper with baby blue stripes. There was a little cartoon figure on it with the words 'Little Monster' right underneath it. It made him smile, but at the same time a heavy feeling ,he couldn't quite place, settled over him. It had to belong to Milo. A keepsake to remember him by. Shit that thing was tiny. Daryl had a hard time imagining that a human being would be small enough to fit into that thing. His thumb rubbed gently over the soft material before he picked up the next item from the box. Tiny hospital tag bracelets with Milo's name and date of birth on it, August 14th 2009. He carefully put them back in the box after examining them and picked up the photo album next. He flipped it open and his breath caught in his throat when he saw a picture of Teddy with a swollen belly. The date on the picture told him that it had been taken 3 days before Milo had been born. She looked beautiful. She hadn't changed much in the past couple of years, she just looked more mature now. He flipped to the next page and was met by a photo of a little baby boy with dark eyes and black hair, looking at the camera a little sceptically. "Milo, 5 days old." he read the caption with a smile. He felt for the boy, Daryl hated being photographed as well and pretty much always sported the same look as Milo when a camera was pointed at him. He saw another picture at the bottom in which the boy was wearing the romper from the box. Daryl was amazed when he noticed that Milo looked like he was drowning in it, he had been even tinier than the romper and Daryl had already considered that super tiny.

He jumped when he felt a hand smooth over his shoulder blade, he'd been so caught up in the pictures that he hadn't even noticed Teddy coming in. He should go out to the woods more often again, he was losing his touch. "Shit. Sorry." he looked at her apologetically and motioned towards the box. "Didn't mean ta snoop."

"It's okay. It's not a secret." she smiled and sank down on the bed next to him. "That was taken just a couple of hours after he was born." she explained, when he flipped to the next page.

"That yer brother and old man crying?"

"Yeah, they were all so happy. It's a damn emotional time, finally meeting that little person you've been waiting for for so long. They were so happy about becoming grandparents. Especially my dad." She giggled. "He cried like a baby, it was so cute. He cried more than Milo. Gosh and Billy, he turned into a damn waterfall. He was in the delivery room with e when I gave birth."

"Ain't that a little weird?" Daryl scrunched up his nose, actually finding it more than just a "little" weird.

"Guess it is. I thought so, too at first, but I was alone, my parents' flight had been delayed and I was so damn scared and that pain just wrecks you. After three hours of contractions I didn't care anymore about him possibly seeing things a brother shouldn't see. I was just glad that he was there and gave me love and support and a ton of strength. He did a great job, couldn't have done it without him." Teddy's eyes got a little watery when she remembered how Billy had been there for her, it really had been a great experience for her to have him there and share Milo's first moments with him.

Daryl noticed that tears were about to start falling and the thought of her crying made his heart hurt, so he quickly flipped back to the first page and grinned. "You were huge! Looks like you're 'bout ta keel over."

"Hey, watch it. I had a person inside of me, I was supposed to be big." she laughed and swatted him lightly.

"I know, I know. Jus' kiddin'. Ya looked pretty."

"And so young. Look how young I was." she said while she leaned her head against his shoulder.

"Ya still look the same. Don't look older now, jus' more grown up."

"Can't believe I'll be 30 in three months."

"Ain't old. I'm 36 now... ya callin' me old?"

"Maybe I am. What are you gonna do about it?" she grinned when she saw him carefully put the baby album and romper back into the box before setting it on the floor, a predatory look flashing in his eyes when he pushed her back on the bed.

"You been getting outta line a lot lately... Gotta teach ya some manners, huh?" he traced the tip of his nose along her body in a teasing, feathery touch, from the valley of her breasts up to her neck and all the way up to her ear, inhaling her scent, making the hairs on his body stand up when arousal shot through him. "Gotta show ya who's boss in here, don't I?" he growled into her ear before he bit down on the lobe.

"Yeah, guess you better." she breathed, her heart already beating rapidly in excitement.

"I will,... " he closed his right hand over her left breast and squeezed it with just the right amount of pressure, making her arch her back. "As soon as I'm done taking care of this mess you call a closet." he smirked into her ear, breaking out into a chuckle when she shoved him.

"You can be a mean son of a bitch, you know that?"

"Awww, sorry darlin'. Consider it part of yer training. Patience, babe. Anticipation can be a damn good thing." He placed a hard kiss on her lips before he pushed himself off of the bed and adjusted himself. "Now, go through that pile over there and sort it. The faster we're done, the faster we can get to the fun part."

"Fine." she grumbled and sat up and grabbed some clothes and started sorting and folding them neatly. "You going to the jail tomorrow to see your brother?"

"Yeah."

"You gonna tell him that you got rid of your apartment?"

"Yep. That's gonna be a fun conversation. On the bright side, maybe he'll throw a fit big enough to attack the guards and have parole revoked."

"Good luck with that." Teddy chuckled.

"Thanks. Hey, how about we throw all yer shorts out?"

"What? Are you crazy?"

"They're too damn short."

"It's why they are called shorts."

"Don't want ya wearing 'em outside no more. Show off too much. That's just fer me ta see."

"We live in Georgia and it's fucking July, Daryl. I am NOT throwing them out. Do that and I swear to God I'll run around in a bikini just to annoy the fuck out of you." she threatened and Daryl figured she might mean it.

"Don't like it." he grunted and threw another bra of hers on the bra pile. Teddy didn't reply, she loved him, but she wouldn't let him dictate what she could wear outside.

"Ya think 'bout him a lot? Yer son?" Daryl asked after the box with the baby items caught his gaze once more.

"Probably sounds bad when I say no, right? But the truth is, I don't think about him every single day. It still hurts too much, because I inevitably think about things like 'What would he look like now and what would he be like?'. The questions would just keep popping up and I would never ever find an answer,... so no, not an awful lot. There are times when I think about him more than on other occasions. His birthday, the anniversary of his death, holidays... As hard as it is and as cruel as it sounds, but life just goes on. I can't keep myself stuck in the past all the time. It's not healthy. It doesn't mean that I don't love him, though. I do. With all I have. His fifth birthday is coming up in a month. Billy and I are gonna fly out to Seattle for it, go see his grave. You could come with us, you know?"

"Dunno. I'll think about it." he promised, but he wasn't so sure if it would be right thing to do. He didn't want to intrude. "Why ain't yer folks going?"

"Hurts them too much. Destroyed them almost as much as it destroyed me. Billy, too, but he's doing it for me and for Milo." Daryl replied with a grunt of acknowledgment and started putting clothes back into the closet.

"What about you? You want kids? Or a kid?" Teddy asked, realizing that she had never asked him. She knew he would have been ready to have one with her if she had turned out to be pregnant, but maybe that had been more because it would have been the right thing to do.

"I'm terrified of havin' ma own kids." Daryl admitted quietly, but a small smile played along his lips. "But I want 'em." Suddenly the smile died and he cleared his throat. "Doesn't matter though. You don't want none no more."

"You might meet someone else one day."

"Stop."

"Have kids with her."

"Fucking stop, Teddy. Ain't gonna happen. Told you, you and me. Nobody else. Don't make me say it again."

"Sorry." she paused for a moment to collect her thoughts. "I can't promise you anything, Daryl...but I might change my mind about it. I never thought I would ever have something like we have. Didn't think I'd ever be ready to commit to somebody like this. You changed my mind about it, so maybe you'll change my mind about having another baby, too, eventually. Who knows? We'll have to wait and see."

"Fair enough." Daryl said with his back turned to her, effectively hiding the smile on his face.

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"You did WHAT? The hell am I s'pposed ta stay at, boy? I ain't got no money. You know that!" Merle was clenching his fists, only a second away from punching Daryl's lights out. "It's that fucking girl you're with. She's messin' with yer head, son! Movin' in with her. You some kind of kept man now?"

"There's a sober living house on Church Street. Yer lawyer said that ya gotta find a job and stay clean or you're comin' back here, so sober living's probably the best thing for ya. Easier not to fall back into bad habits." Daryl tried to stay calm and patient, but his big brother once again wasn't making it easy.

"Yeah, yeah, you're so full of shit that yer eyes are brown. You one of them now. Fucking stuck up Robertsons. What ya just said? Tell me that didn't sound like it came out of yer bitch's doctor mouth. She should be on her knees suckin' yer dick instead of spoutin' off about things she don't know shit about. Don't know her fucking place, that one. But what did I expect, ya just a damn pussy, always been. All those years tryin' ta make a real man outta ya. All a waste."

"You done? Anyway, got a couple of boxes of your stuff at our place. I'll bring em to wherever you're gon' stay at when you're outta here."

"And then what? Then ya gonna take off, back to your new family? Leavin' me ta rot out on the streets?"

"Ain't gotta rot out in the streets. Just gotta get yer act together, man. Ain't that hard. But we ain't gon' be hanging out much no more."

"Yeah, so ya can play nice with yer new Mommy and Daddy, huh? They gonna dress ya up like you their doll soon? Take ya to their little cocktail parties and show ya off like a new pet?"

"They're good people. Got their flaws, like anybody else, but they done right by me since I've met them."

"Pfff." Merle was out of ammo. Trying to make Daryl think that Teddy had some kind of ulterior motive was no longer working and obviously not true, it had been too long now. His baby brother had really found a woman and a new family, one that was treating him better than his own blood and it was a bitter pill to swallow for Merle. He was sure though that those people had convinced Daryl to cut his brother loose. Daryl wouldn't do that on his own free will. Probably offered him money to do it. Fucking bunch of pussy assholes. All of them. Merle had to come to terms with the realization that for the first time in almost 20 years, he would be truly on his own. No Daryl to bail him out and deep down it scared him, because life was about to get harder. He would have to make an effort to stay out of jail, all by himself, when he had counted on Daryl to find him a job somehow or lie for him, convince his boss Mike to tell the parole officer that Merle worked at the shop or something. But like this? He would really have to go and find a damn job. Not something Merle liked doing very much. He preferred being free to do whatever pleased him, whenever it pleased him.

"You have a date yet? For when they're gonna let ya outta here?" Daryl asked soon, feeling too awkward with just sitting there and looking at his silent brother. Even though he probably should enjoy the rare occasion of Merle being quiet.

"Nah, Hanson is working it out right now. Should know more next week."

"'Kay, just gimme a call when ya need yer stuff and I'll bring it to ya."

"That all ya came for? Ta tell me I'm homeless?"

"I got a dog for my birthday." Daryl said without thinking, immediately wincing after the words had left his mouth.

"Jesus fucking Christ. How old are ya? Eight?" Merle was laughing his ass off. "I got a dog for my birthday. I'm gonna put pink ribbons in his hair and make him all pretty." Merle was speaking in a ridiculous, high-pitched voice, imitating a little girl.

"Fuck off, man." Daryl muttered angrily, for the millionth time wishing he hadn't come here.

"Naw, you go fuck off. Get outta here, have yer girlfriend buy pretty things for ya."

Their 30 minutes of visitation were up anyway and Daryl couldn't be happier about it. They didn't say goodbye, just looked at each other angrily, like they did pretty much every single time, because they always got into an argument. Daryl was so NOT looking forward to Merle being back out and roaming the streets of Jasper soon.

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Roxie peed on the floor a little when Daryl entered the apartment, she was so happy that her Daddy was back. In the ten days that they'd had her, she had spent pretty much 24/7 with Daryl and according to the neighbors, she'd already howled the house down yesterday when they had moved Daryl out of his apartment and had gone shopping after without her. That he'd left without her again this morning had made her sad. Daryl crouched down and greeted her properly until she had calmed down, then he quickly got some cleaning supplies from under the sink and cleaned the spot on the floor. When he put the stuff back he noticed food on the table. He thought Teddy was still sleeping, but apparently she had already gone out to get something to eat.

"Where's momma, girl? C'mon, let's look for her. Teddy? Where ya at, girl?" Daryl called out to the quiet apartment.

"Office." she shouted back and looked up from her laptop with a smile when the pair came in. "Hey."

"Hey." Daryl leaned down and kissed her. When he straightened back up he motioned for her to get up from her chair and when she obeyed he sat himself down and pulled her to sit on his lap. "Thought ya wanted ta sleep some more?"

"I tried, but Roxie was not very happy about you leaving and kept whimpering, so I took her for a walk over to my parents, got some of their leftover breakfast."

"I saw."

"How was your visit with Merle?"

"Pfff, don't ask. Same as usual." Daryl sighed deeply, not particularly eager to talk about his brother. Also, the things that he read on the screen of her laptop confused him.

"He wasn't happy about you giving up the apartment, huh?"

"No he was not. Why are ya looking at hotels in Austin, Texas?" His brow furrowed and he got a bad feeling, when she smiled apologetically.

"Because I'm gonna need a room there for about a week." she explained and Daryl felt like he was turning into a stone statue when he processed what she was saying, every muscle in his body tensed.

"What the fuck for?" he asked in a dangerously low voice.

"I talked to my Dad this morning and he had just read about some medical seminars in Austin that would be kind of good for me to attend. A lot of GP stuff and domiciliary care,... Won't hurt to freshen up some stuff and learn something new."

"When?"

"End of the month."

"Awesome. Ya leave for a week, come back for a couple of days and are off to Seattle with yer bro for another couple of days? Fucking perfect."

"Seattle is just two days and you can always come with us."

"Yeah? What about Roxie?"

"She can stay with my parents for two days, baby. They love her and she loves them. They'll take good care of her."

"Fuck, girl! A whole week?"

"Not a whole 7 days. I'll try to make it as short as possible. I don't wanna be away from you for too long either. But it might be 4 or 5 days."

"Great. What a fucking day. Should'a stayed in bed." he grumbled and started rubbing his hand over her thighs.

"Sorry, honey. At least we can speak on the phone and text and stuff."

"Yeah." he sighed and looked down to where his fingertips glided along the bare skin of her upper thighs. She was wearing really small jean shorts and a white tank top and his eyes narrowed when realization hit him. "Ya been out there dressed like this?"

"Of course. It's like a 110 fucking degrees already."

"Told ya yesterday I don't want ya goin' out like this. All those fuckers staring at 'em legs... makes me fucking sick."

"And I told you, that I won't let you tell me what to wear. Want me to have a heatstroke?" Teddy's eyes were challenging. She knew the look in Daryl's and she knew things were about to get interesting.

"Never got around ta give ya what I wanted ta give ya yesterday. Ya distracted me 'gain." he drawled and raked his blunt nails up over her thighs. "Ya been a pretty bad girl lately. Mouthy 'nd defiant... Can't have that, can we?"

"Maybe you gotta stuff that mouth to shut me up."

"Nah, got something better in mind. Ya need to get it outta yer system. You're stressed. Yer whole body's tense with it. Get up! Take of them damn shorts! Top, too." Teddy climbed off his lap and unbuttoned her shorts, pushing them over her hips and letting them fall to the hardwood floor of her office before she peeled off her white tank top and let it join her shorts. Daryl clenched his fists, a streak of anger flashing through him when he looked at her bare breasts.

"No bra? Ya went out there in those tiny shorts and no bra on top of that? Yer in trouble now, girl. Come here." he grabbed her wrist and roughly pulled her to him, making her stumble over her own feet. Daryl caught her, though, and pulled her to lay over his lap, delivering a sharp smack to her round ass, that had her crying out in shock.

"Shit, baby. Could've warned me." she gasped, squirming a little when his warm hand caressed the reddening skin over the material of her thin grey cotton panties.

"I been warning ya for days, sweetheart, but ya just don't listen." A second smack to her other butt cheek made her moan and squirm some more in his lap. "Makes me think ya did it on purpose. Ya wanted some of this? Huh?" his hand connected with her round flesh once more.

"Yessss." she hissed, making him chuckle.

"Oh darlin', all ya had ta do was ask." the fourth smack hit her, making her jump and reflexively reach her hands back, trying to rub and soothe the marks. Daryl quickly caught her wrists in one of his hands and held them tight behind her back, while he smoothed his other hand over her still panties-covered ass, slowly moving his fingers further down, pressing the cotton against her weeping opening, moistening the fabric with her arousal. "I fucking love this as much as you do, darlin'. Look at that. Excited already." he moved his fingers even further down to press against her clit, rubbing slow circles for a moment. His inner animal had awakened and it was more than ready to play. He relished in her moans, while his eyes scanned her desk, not looking for anything in particular, but then something caught his attention, making a slow grin spread out on his lips. He leaned forward over her body and grabbed the slim wooden ruler from her desk organizer. He eyed it for a second, before he placed it on top of the desk, then he proceeded to tug her panties down to her knees. He picked the ruler back up and slid the smooth wooden surface over her soft, reddened skin.

"Oh shit." Teddy moaned quietly when she felt the inanimate object rub her sensitive skin. She couldn't see it, but she was pretty sure that she knew what it was.

"Oh yeah." Daryl's chuckle was deep and purely masculine. "Told ya, ya were in trouble, didn't I? Trust me?"

"Yes."

"Good, then let's have some fun." he grinned and started tapping the ruler lightly against her butt, slowly building up the intensity and testing out how hard he could go. Teddy squirmed and moaned and struggled a little against the hold he had on her wrists, but he could tell she enjoyed it by the way she kept trying to rub her legs together to get some friction on her pussy. "Don't worry, darlin'. That's gon' get some attention as well." Daryl grinned. He delivered a last little smack to her ass, then he let the ruler take the path his hand had taken earlier, pressing it flat against her wet entrance, rubbing against it gently before he tapped it with the ruler ever so slightly. Teddy jerked in his lap and cursed under her breath in response.

"Good?" Daryl asked her, his voice deep and rough from his own arousal. This whole thing had him hard as a rock and Teddy squirming her hot little body against his erection the whole time wasn't helping things either. He was close to loosing it, but he wanted a little bit more playtime before he would fuck the sass out of her, so he forced himself to stay in control. He just loved when she gave herself over to him like this, fully trusting him to make her feel good and not hurt her with this little experiment.

He tapped her opening once more before he slid it down to her clit, too curious to see her reaction to receiving this particular kind of stimulation there. He grinned when she already started shivering when he rubbed the smooth wood over the swollen nub, her moans increasing in intensity and volume, when he pressed the ruler against her hard and moved it from side to side with quick jerky motions.

"Oh fuck... oh baby, yes... yes..." Daryl was sure he would be able to make her cum like this, but that wasn't the plan, not yet anyway, this was supposed to be at least a little bit of punishment. He ceased his motions, making Teddy whimper at the loss of that delicious friction, and switched over to holding the ruler loosely in his hand and placing light careful taps against her clit, being extra careful not to hurt that sensitive area.

Teddy's legs were shaking, almost in the same rhythm at which he was sending surges of lust through her lower body with his light slapping. She was dripping wet and probably the most aroused she had ever been in her entire life. There was no coherent thought left in her brain except for 'fuck me'.

"Fuck me, baby. Please." she voiced that single thought out loud between her erratic breaths.

"We'll get to that, darlin'. Very soon. Mmmm, look at how wet you are for me. Dirty girl likes ta get her sweet little pussy spanked, don't she?"

"Yes. Daryl, please..."

"Please what?"

"More, please." Teddy moaned and tried to move her hips so she would be able to press up against that damn ruler again, desperate for the friction, but Daryl wouldn't give her what she wanted just yet.

"Ya wanna cum, girl?"

"YES!" she moaned, but then immediately resorted to begging when her ears picked up the sound of the ruler connecting with the top of her desk. "No, no, no, don't stop please!"

"Love it when ya beg." He groaned and smacked the back of her left thigh, this time using his hand again, before he but his fingers between her legs again. "Shit girl, yer soaked." His fingers slid easily through her folds right down to her clit, using the pad of his middle finger to circle it gently, making intense heat spreading through her pelvis. It was enough to turn her on to no end, but not enough to make her cum and he knew that. He just loved driving her insane.

"Daryl, fuck, please!" Her whole body was trembling and tears sprang to her eyes, she couldn't take this teasing, she just wanted to get fucked and have him make her cum.

"Patience, darlin'." The same middle finger now left her clit and slid right up into her pussy. Her walls clamped down on the digit immediately and Teddy hoped to God he would add another one and just fuck her already. Of course he didn't. He curved his finger so it pressed down towards her belly and moved it back and forth experimentally, waiting for the sign that he had found her hot spot.

"Aaah shiiit. No, Daryl, please no. No more teasing, please. Just fuck me, I beg you." Daryl delivered another smack to her ass while he worked her G-spot with his finger for a minute, feeling her get wetter by the second. He knew she was reaching the point of the throbbing between her legs turning painful, it was the same for him. He released her hands and pulled her up to a standing position, immediately following her and bending his head to press his lips against hers, his tongue plundering her mouth passionately. Teddy slumped against him, her knees way past the point of holding her up. With a quick swipe of his arm Daryl cleared her table, unfortunately forgetting about her laptop being one of the items that would fall to the floor. The loud crash didn't even register with Teddy. She was clinging to him and his lips as if her life depended on it. Daryl lifted her and deposited her on the desk.

"Lay back." he ordered while he made quick work of his own clothing. Once naked, he stepped up to the edge of the desk, grabbing her ankles and lifting her legs up to his shoulders. He guided his throbbing cock to her opening, just pushing the tip in, almost cumming right then and there, when he felt her velvety, slick heat convulse around it. His hands took hold of her wrists, pinning them at the edge of the desk, left and right to her ass and then he slammed home with one gloriously deep and hard thrust that made them both cry out in pleasure and relief.

He set a hard and fast pace, his body slapping against her over-sensitized flesh, his thighs banged into the table with every thrust, but he didn't give a fuck, he lost himself in the sounds and sensations of their carnal pleasures. When he felt himself near his point of no return, he released one of her hands and traced his fingers back to the little smooth pearl between her folds that would help her explode around him. His other hand released the hold on her hand, too, but instead of letting go he intertwined their fingers, bonding them in yet another way. Teddy started chanting his name like a mantra, the sure fire sign that she was about to cum and Daryl couldn't hold back any longer. Another five quick and hard thrusts and he collapsed forward on top of her with a roar, the force of his climax knocking the breath out of him. He only vaguely felt Teddy's body jerk and convulse under his, the sharp, burn of her nails leaving trails down his sweat-slicked back was dulled by the intense pleasure that was clouding his brain. All he could do was rest his forehead against her shoulder and try to get his erratic breathing under control.

Once his senses returned back to normal, he felt completely at peace and relaxed, all his frustrations had been fucked out of his body. He smiled at the feeling and raised his head to look up at his girl. Teddy had tears streaming out of her eyes and over her temples until they fell into her hair. Daryl squeezed the hand that was still linked with his, the other reaching up to her face and gently wiping her tears away with his thumb.

"You okay, darlin'?" his voice was a whisper. He felt like the peaceful atmosphere would get disrupted by him talking too loudly.

"I'm more than okay. That was..."

"'xactly what we needed?" Daryl offered with a gentle smile.

"Yes. I feel so good right now. Like a wet noodle, all limp and relaxed." she smiled and used her free hand to play with his hair.

"Me, too."

"Don't wanna get up." she mumbled. She enjoyed their shared closeness way too much in that moment.

"I know, but we have ta. Let's be lazy asses and go back to bed until our girl needs another walk." he kissed her gently before he pushed himself up and helped her off the desk. "You go ahead, I'll get us what we'll need." he said while he collected his boxer briefs from the floor and pulled them on. Teddy surveyed the chaos and her possibly broken laptop on the floor and found that she couldn't care less about that in that moment. She trudged into the bathroom on bare feet to freshen up, before she slipped back into bed and waited for Daryl to join her. He soon came in with a plate of waffles she had taken from her parents' house and the calendula creme they used after their slightly rougher sessions.

"Turn over, babe." he pulled the sheet from her body carefully applied the creme to the red skin of her ass, gently massaging it in. Teddy purred contentedly and stayed on her stomach when he was done.

"Thank you, baby." she turned her head and smiled at him.

"Don't wanna eat? Ya need it." he had scooted down to lay on his side next to her and was kissing and stroking her back, tickling her sensually.

"In a minute. Mmmm, that's nice." she mumbled, her eyes closing when he made goosebumps break out on her skin from his gentle caresses.

"Ya mean everythin' ta me. Ya know that, right?" his quiet and serious statement made her eyes snap open. She looked into his beautiful blue eyes while she reached up and stroked her thumb over his cheekbone, then she nodded.

"I know. I love you, too." she said and let her thumb slide over his slightly parted lips. Daryl held her gaze and opened his lips wider, letting his teeth graze the pad of her thumb in a soft bite. A soft press of lips against the digit followed before he leaned towards her and kissed her lips, long and gentle. He was glad that she understood what he meant without explicitly saying it.

"Let's eat." he smiled and sat back up with his back against the headboard. Teddy watched him a moment longer, how he stuffed a piece of waffle into his mouth, grunting his approval at the taste before quickly shoving another piece between his lips.

"Love you." Teddy whispered once more, before she finally sat up, too, taking her place cuddled up into his side. Daryl held a piece of waffle to her mouth, but jerked it away again when she wanted to take a bite and stuffed it into his own mouth.

"Hey!" Teddy laughed and pinched his side, making him squirm a little. Daryl put his strong arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer, just looking at her beautiful face while he chewed with a little smile on his face. 'Love ya, Teddy' he thought, before he leaned in and placed another long kiss on her lips.

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**Thank you to all you wonderful people out there who like this story and support it by following, favoriting and reviewing. It means the world.**

**My lovely reviewers, don't ever stop, you give me so much joy and inspiration for this. Sorry for lack of PM's. Rough toddler time;) Special thanks to:**

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**Reid's Girl**


	18. Chapter 18

**Just gonna leave this here for y'all and haul ass out of here. Don't kill me, it's all gonna work out. Always does, right?**

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Teddy's been gone for a whole night and a whole day and already Daryl didn't know what to do with himself. He missed her and he was bored beyond belief. He still had to wait half an hour before he could call her, because she was still at one of those stupid seminars. He decided to take Roxy for a quick walk to pass the time and pick up a six-pack of beer at the store to keep him company and help him sleep that night. Last night without being able to wrap himself around his woman had been extremely sleepless, only worsening his mood all day long.

He heard the phone ring just when he was about to let himself and Roxy back into their apartment. He hurriedly fumbled with the keys, groaning in frustration when he dropped them, for a second considering to just kick in the door real quick, because he was sure it was Teddy who was calling and he was not going to miss that call. Finally he got the key into the lock and opened the door, almost throwing himself over the couch to reach the phone in time.

"'lo?" he was out of breath when he finally picked up the phone.

"Well hello there, honey. Did I interrupt something?" he heard Teddy's grin in her voice, a voice he was extremely delighted to hear.

"Get your mind outta the gutter, Doc." he laughed and let himself sink down on the couch, squirming around a little to get comfortable while Roxy curled up on the other end of it.

"Why? It's so much more fun in the gutter. So you're not whacking off right now?"

"Nah. Just got back from a walk with our girl. Was runnin' to the phone. How's fucking Austin?"

"Very hot, mostly. Don't get to see much of it. I'm stuck in a dark room looking at power-point presentations and listening to boring speeches all day. It's like being back in college for a week, only without the frat parties." she giggled, but it didn't amuse Daryl. The thought of her out partying with strange men made his blood boil.

"There better ain't no damn frat parties. Yer not there ta party with fucking college guys."

"Hm, looks like I'm not the only one with a jealous streak, am I?"

"Hell, no. Thought of you walking down the streets in yer tiny shorts and the bastards looking at you makes me sick, how do ya think I feel bout you drinking and partying with other men?" he was talking agitatedly, as if it had already happened. It made Teddy grin a little. He was hot when he was angry and she could just imagine what he'd look like now. Eyes narrowed, snarling, fists clenched. Delicious.

"Relax, baby. I won't do any partying. On my afternoons off I'll just go to the spa or shopping, girly stuff."

"Good. I trust ya, but I don't trust other guys. If anyone gets handsy, don't shy away from kicking 'em in the crotch with yer heels."

"Daryl, what do you think is gonna happen here? It's like school, it's boring and I'm not looking to hang out with anyone. Just forget about it. Tell me about your day." Teddy changed the topic before things got out of hand. She did not want to argue with him on the phone while she was gone.

"Didn't sleep. Had breakfast alone, went ta work, got back, had dinner alone, went out with Rox and now I'm here with you on the phone." Daryl rattled off grumpily, making sure to emphasize the "alone" part. Teddy chose to ignore it, she didn't like being away from him either, but this was something she needed to do.

"Merle got out today, didn't he?"

"Yeah."

"And he hasn't contacted you yet?"

"No, probably busy with finding a place to stay and his parole officer or shit like that. Another day of peace, before he pops up. That's fine by me."

"You are probably right about that. Don't let him drag you down, baby. You are much more of a decent person than he will ever be. Don't let him convince you otherwise. You don't have to fall in line." Teddy almost sounded like she was begging. She was really worried about Merle fucking everything up. He had the power to brainwash Daryl, everybody knew that and she was anxious about the fact that Merle was getting released from prison while she wasn't in town to have Daryl's back and talk sense into him, if Merle tries to put his little brother under his thumb again.

"Yeah yeah, I know. I won't. Talked 'bout this a hundred times, woman. Just drop it."

"Fine. I trust you. You'll do the right thing." Teddy hoped that her believing in him would be enough to stay strong.

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Another day passed and Daryl was in such a foul mood that Billy decided to take some action. He talked to everybody at work and all agreed that it had been too long since they've all gone out for a drink together after work. Daryl gladly tagged along, happy to get out of the house and have a little distraction from missing Teddy. So after he had gone home to drop off Roxy, he went down to the bar and sat at a table with all of his colleagues, downing two beers in quick succession. He wished he would have stayed home, though, when Sandra wouldn't leave him alone and being all over him. The woman just didn't get that he wasn't interested and that he had a girlfriend. When he started on his third beer, things got even worse, because that was, when a big hand landed hard on his shoulder and he heard the very distinctive voice of his brother.

"Well if it ain't ma lil' sister Darylina. Out drinking with yer brother-in-law, I see. Y'all are like peas in a fucking pod, aren't cha? Ya still called Dixon? Or did ya change yer name ta fucking Robertson yet? That yer bitch?" Merle spat, pointing at Sandra. Before Daryl could answer, Sandra did.

"What if I am?" she grinned challengingly.

"If ya are, then ma brother's got better taste in broads than I thought." Merle grinned and licked his teeth suggestively.

"Ain't Teddy. She's gone for the week." Daryl cut in, shrugging off Sandra's hand that was once more creeping up his arm to smooth over his shoulder.

"You dog! More of me in ya than I thought. Good ta know." Merle winked proudly. "Yer little doctor girlfriend know what yer up to when she's outta town?"

"It's not like that." Billy had heard enough and spoke up. "Sandra's got a problem with boundaries, that's all. Listen Merle, this is a work-only thing, so why don't you fuck off over to the bar and bother those drunk fucks there?"

"You got a lot of nerve, you little punk. Don't ya know who yer talking, too? I could stomp yer ass into the ground faster than you could blink." Merle threatened Billy, walking towards him with a menacing expression on his face.

"Yeah, but you really can't, can you? Not if you wanna stay out of the big house." Billy shot back, not intimidated by the older Dixon. Merle's eyes narrowed and he had a good mind to rip Billy's throat out with his bare hands, but unfortunately the little fucker was right. Merle couldn't do a damn thing except talk. And that he did. A lot.

The night just kept getting worse and worse. Of course Merle didn't fuck off to the bar, he stayed right where he was and he kept egging on Sandra, getting a kick out of how uncomfortable her affections made Daryl and how exasperated and annoyed they made Billy. In retrospect, both men couldn't explain why they didn't just leave. It had been like an unavoidable car wreck they hadn't been able to get out of in time. Merle kept ordering shots, making Sandra drunker and drunker with every single one, lowering her inhibitions as well. Daryl kept his cool, he just kept shrugging her off and telling her and Merle to cut it out. But then all of a sudden Sandra leaned in and licked along the side of his neck up to his ear, and Daryl freaked out. He didn't even really mean to do it, it was just reflex, but he gripped her arms and shoved her away, making her almost fall off her chair, if it hadn't been for Merle catching her.

"The fuck, woman?" Daryl yelled at her incredulously.

"Come on, Daryl. Time for us to go." Billy grabbed Daryl's arm and pulled him towards the exit.

"That was a mistake." Sandra growled viciously. She might have been drunk, but she was fuming at being rejected that way.

"Shit man, shit. I didn't mean to..." Daryl stammered when he and Billy were outside and walking down the street.

"Everybody knows that, Daryl. Don't worry. She crossed the line. Everybody's been telling her for weeks that you ain't interested. It's her own fucking fault. Come on, I'll walk you home."

Billy took Daryl home, where the hunter just dropped down on the bed and fell asleep. The fatigue and the alcohol finally catching up with him. Billy took off Daryl's boots and covered him with a blanket. He texted Teddy that they had gone out for drinks and that Daryl had fallen asleep, so she wouldn't worry about him not answering his phone. He put food in Roxy's bowl and cuddled her for a moment, before he left for his own apartment. Daryl had become like a brother for him and he hated that he just seemed to attract these shitstorms, one of those being Merle. That asshole had been in great shape tonight, ruining everything for his little brother once again. Billy had almost hoped that Merle would have hit him, because then they would be able to send his ass back to jail. Unfortunately Merle had been too smart for that to happen. One thing was clear to Billy: they all had to do their best to keep Merle away from Daryl. He had made too much progress in the past couple of months, it would be a damn shame to have Merle destroy it all within a week.

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Gerald was holding his arm up in front of his face, trying not to breathe through his nose. The stench of urine, vomit and feces heavy in the air. Defecated underwear was pretty much lining the floor along with big spots of vomit and it was all buried under a mass of emtpy alcohol bottles, some of them presumably filled with piss, because Will Dixon had been too weak to get up anymore to use the bathroom.

It was 1 am at night and Gerald had been called in to verify a life extinct. The life extinct in question had been none other than Will Dixon. The Robertson patriarch had expected this to happen sooner or later, still he was filled with sadness. Not for the dead man in the recliner, but for his son. Even though Will didn't deserve to be mourned, Gerald knew that Daryl would.

"We should get Daryl down here." Chris Malone, the police officer knew all the Dixons and knew that Daryl had always been the one to be notified when Will or Merle were in trouble.

"No." Gerald stated decisively. "I'll notify Daryl. If he wants to see him one more time he can do it at the morgue. Daryl doesn't need to see all of this. He'll just find a way to blame himself." Gerald muttered the last part mostly to himself, but Officer Malone still heard and nodded in agreement.

Gerald decided to call around for one of those special cleaning crews who took care of messes like Will had left in his house. He wanted to spare Daryl the horrible experience of seeing and smelling it like this. He would do it first thing in the morning. Well, second actually. First thing would be, breaking the news to Daryl.

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Daryl's eyes snapped open the next morning, when he heard the front door being unlocked. Roxy stood at alert as well, but she started wagging her tail, when she recognized the voice that was calling out.

"Daryl? Darling, are you here?" Bernadette's voice floated through the apartment, making Daryl frown deeply in confusion. He swung himself out of bed and trotted out into the hall, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He froze when he noticed that both, Gerald and Bernadette, were standing in front of him with somber expressions on their faces. The worst scenarios were shooting through Daryl's mind and he stared at them nervously.

"What's wrong? Teddy? Is ma woman okay?" his voice turned more frantic with every word and Bernadette quickly held up her hands and hushed him.

"It's not Teddy, she's fine." she assured him and a big breath of relief whooshed out of his lungs.

"Shit, ya fucking scared me. What chu doin' here then?" he was confused about their presence.

"It's your father, sweetheart."

"He gone?" Daryl knew that would have to be the reason why they were both here. It had only been a matter of time.

"Yes." Gerald confirmed and put his hand on Daryl's shoulder gently to offer some comfort. "Last night, son."

"He suffer?"

The answer was yes, but Gerald didn't have the heart to tell him that outright, so he fibbed a little. "He was probably too out of it to feel much of anything. He'd still been drinking."

Daryl nodded and looked down on the floor and chewed on his lip while he processed the news. He looked so much like a little boy in that moment and Bernadette's motherly instincts went into overdrive. She slung her arms around him and rubbed his back softly.

"I'm sorry, honey. I know you wanted to help him, but he couldn't be helped."

Daryl touched her arm hesitantly, a little overwhelmed by the love and support Teddy's parents were showing him. So much more with these little gestures than his own parents had ever shown him his entire life. Still he felt sad at the loss of his father.

"What do I do now?" he asked after a moment of silence and Bernadette finally released him.

"We'll help you with everything. Don't worry, you won't be alone in this." Gerald promised him. Then they took him to the kitchen for some coffee and he explained to Daryl what they would have to do now in order to arrange the funeral.

The morning was a blur. Daryl had called Merle. His brother had told him he was staying at a buddy's house, so he had called him there to let him know and ask him if he wanted to help out. All he got was a scoff from his older brother and a declaration of how happy he was the dirty old bastard was gone. No help there. Thankfully he had Teddy's parents to help him out and guide him through the necessary steps. There was so much that had to be done. By noon he hadn't even been able to call Teddy and tell her, yet. Just when the threesome had arrived back at the apartment for a lunch break, there was a knock on the door. Gerald went to answer it and was surprised to find Officer Malone and his colleague on the other side.

"Officer? Surprised to see you here? What can we do for you?"

"Is Daryl here? We need to speak to him."

"Sure come on in, what's this about?" Gerald was confused about the cause of their visit.

"What's going on?" Daryl came out of the kitchen and looked at the men questioningly.

"I'm afraid we have to ask you to come down to the station with us. Answer some questions."

"What about?"

"You familiar with a Sandra Dempsey?" Officer Malone asked him.

"Yeah, I work with her. Why?"

"She is accusing you of assault and battery. She's pressing charges, so you have to come with us now."

Daryl's heart dropped into his stomach, the events of last night coming back to him. He felt dazed, while Gerald jumped in to defend him.

"This has to be a mistake. Daryl would never hit a woman. You can't take him, his father just died, you know that."

"I'm sorry Dr. Robertson, just doing our job. Come on, Daryl. Let's go." Officer Malone put his hand on Daryl's arm and guided him out to their car.

"We're coming with you. Don't worry son, it will all be alright." Gerald assured a still dazed Daryl frantically while he and Bernadette gathered their things and hurried after them.

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How had things turned to shit this quickly? Daryl kept wondering about that. On Sunday morning, he'd been just a regular guy who'd fucked his girlfriend goodbye on the kitchen table, not a care in the world except knowing how much he'd fucking miss her. And now? Now it was just Thursday noon and he was out of jail on fucking bail, waiting for the police to finish their investigation and decide if they want to officially charge him with assault and battery. Oh yeah, and his father was dead and he had to attend a funeral on Monday.

Gerald and Bernadette had posted bail immediately and had gotten him a good lawyer, just in case the police decided to charge him. Billy had already given his statement, after he'd received the call from his father about Daryl's arrest. After that he'd spent hours tracking down Merle and some familiar faces from the bar, who would all be able to testify that Sandra had been the aggressor and that Daryl hadn't meant to purposefully hurt her. The other guys from work had given their statements as well, telling the cops how Sandra hadn't left Daryl alone ever since she'd started working at the garage and that Daryl had always kept his cool. He'd only reacted purely on instinct, when she had suddenly put her tongue on him.

Sandra didn't have a case, everybody kept telling him that, but Daryl didn't believe them. He knew he was going to jail. He had never been much in luck with anything, why would this be any different? He was startled out of his thoughts when he felt Teddy's soft lips on his bare shoulder. She had blown off the rest of the seminars and had taken the next available flight home after she had finally gotten a hold of Billy late Wednesday night. They had just gotten back home from the station a couple of hours ago and once they had been alone in the confines of their bedroom, Daryl had broken down and had cried in her arms for a long time. She had cried right along with him, while she'd held him and offered him comfort. She just couldn't understand how things like this would happen to him. He was the best person she had ever known and yet he found himself in trouble more often than not.

"You need to sleep some more, baby. You need your rest." she whispered against his skin

"Too fucking anxious." Daryl sighed and rubbed his tired eyes.

"I know. I hope they'll come to a decision quickly. This waiting will wear you down."

"Will ya wait for me?"

"Daryl, don't talk like that. You are not going to jail."

"I might. I'll be a felon. No better than the rest of ma fucked up family."

"Stop it, Daryl. You stop that right now. You didn't do anything wrong and everybody is backing you up. You'll be fine." Teddy admonished him softly. She didn't even want to think about losing him to jail over that bitch and her false claims.

"Just tell me. Will ya still want me after?"

"Of course, baby. This doesn't change anything. I know you. I know you didn't hit her. You just reacted and pushed her away. If the roles would have been reversed, no man would ever press charges for this, but she is a mean and jealous bitch. Woman can be hardcore, I told you that before, right? This is her getting you back for not wanting her, that's all and the evidence is there and will prove you're innocent."

"What if they think I'm guilty?"

"Don't go there. They won't." Teddy cradled his face in her hands and kissed him long and hard. She only stopped because she heard a loud knock on the front door. Daryl tensed up immediately, fearing it was the cops, coming to arrest him. "Relax. Stay here, I'll go see who it is. Could be my mom."

Teddy got out of bed and put on her robe on her way to the door. She opened it and frowned at the stranger, not having the wherewithal to be friendly at that moment. "Can I help you?"

"Daryl around?" the man asked while he studied her closely. She felt like she was an interesting insect under a microscope. Kinda like she felt when Daryl studied her like that when they first met.

"Who wants to know?"

"His brother."

"Hmm." she shot him a hard look, not moving and not saying anything for a long moment. Merle almost jumped when she suddenly started yelling. "Babe, you in the mood to talk to your brother?"

"Yeah, it's fine." she heard him come out of the bedroom. The dullness in his voice hurt her heart. It was like he'd given up hope already.

Teddy moved out of the way and let Merle in. He strode in with his usual swagger and looked around. "Nice set-up ya got yerself here, Darylina. Flew right into the bird's nest and made yaself comfortable. Smart move."

"What do you want?" Daryl asked tiredly, not in the mood to even react to his brother's taunting.

Merle followed Daryl into the kitchen, while Teddy went to the bedroom to get dressed. He grew serious and cleared his throat. "Listen. Didn't mean for ya ta get in so much trouble."

"Right. That's why ya kept egging her on. Couldn't leave well enough alone. Needed her ta get a rise outta me, just to fuck with me. Like always. Is your life really that fucking miserable that ya need ta drag down others with you? Ma life was finally going somewhere and then you came along and shot it all back to hell within less than 48 hours of being out." Daryl voice rose in volume as he was starting to break out of the dull shell he's been in for the past day. It felt good to be able to unleash his anger and at the right person, too.

"Oh, yer life was finally going somewhere, yeah? Where? Into slavery by any chance? You ain't nothin' but a prostitute. You fuck her and she buys ya pretty things." Merle didn't even know what hit him. One second he was yelling back at Daryl and the next he saw a flash of dark hair before his head was rearing to the side, his cheek smarting.

"Get the fuck out of here. You don't come here and call him a prostitute after all the shit you managed to put him through yet again. Out. NOW." Teddy's hand hurt quite a bit from the slap she'd delivered to Merle's face, but it also felt satisfying. She shoved him towards the door, not wanting him around any longer, the guy was disgusting.

"I come ta apologize and this is what I get? Let yer bitch fight yer fights for ya now, baby brother? Yeah, yer life is definitely going somewhere. Pussytown, fer sure. Maybe ya should spend some time in the clink. Might make a man outta you."

"You're despicable." Teddy spat before she slammed the door in his face and locked it. "Idiot." She walked back into the kitchen and sighed. "Are you sure you are even related? You couldn't be more different."

"I was a lot like him. Ask yer brother, he'll tell ya all about it." Daryl told her, his voice softer again now that Merle was gone.

"Billy always liked you. I think he saw what I saw when I first met you."

"What was that?"

"A sweet and gentle soul, that's just hiding behind the big redneck asshole wall you built up over the years."

"Yeah right."

"It's true. It's like I said, your bark is far worse than your bite. After I had met you a couple of times it became very obvious that the asshole thing was just an act. Sometimes when we talked or when we set up my furniture, you let your guard down for a moment and forgot about playing your role, your true self showed. Probably without you even realizing it. You were very caring. You ARE very caring. Always made sure that I was okay. I felt like the scratches I got when I dropped that shelf, that those hurt you more than they hurt me. Same with the scratches from the woods... That's your true nature. You care about things and people. You're pretty emotional."

"Stop."

"It's true and it's nothing to be embarrassed about. It's a good trait. Especially in a strong, hardened man like yourself. You have the ability to still put yourself in other people's shoes. You're not selfish. You are actually the least selfish person I know. You're a good man, Daryl. Believe it." Teddy smiled and kissed his lips gently. Daryl wanted to believe her, he really did, but he couldn't.

"But I shoved her."

"And I just slapped and shoved your brother. Does that make me a bad person?"

"Nah, he was outta line."

"See? Sandra was way out of line, too. And all the others that were there know that and told the police that she was actually the aggressor. We're gonna get through this, baby. It'll be fine. Right now, we just need to get that funeral for your Pa underway. Okay?"

"That ain't until Monday."

"I know, but there are still a lot of things to be done."

"Think anyone else is even gonna show up?" Daryl asked her with sad eyes. He just didn't get why he was so damn sad about his bastard father passing. It was pissing him off that he cared to so much, that he actually wanted him to have a proper funeral.

"I don't know, honey. But all of us are gonna be there for you. Now, I know you hate shopping for clothes, but we need to get you a shirt for Monday. Maybe a tie, too." Teddy started rattling off what errands they would have to run, with Daryl just nodding his consent, he was barely listening. All he could do was look at his girlfriend and let the fear of losing her wash over him.

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Daryl was surprised when a few people did show up for Will's funeral. Will's brothers came with their wives and Daryl's cousins. A couple of guys Daryl recognized as old drinking buddies of Will's and some of the waitresses he'd kept close to scratch his itch from time to time. What meant the most to Daryl, though, was that Teddy, Billy, their parents and even Maggie had come to support him. Gerald had extended the lunch break and kept the practice closed for an hour longer than usual, so he could be there for his potential son-in-law. What surprised Daryl the most, was that Merle showed up, too. He kept his distance, standing as far away as he could while still be able to listening to the reverend talk, but he was there, paying his respects or whatever the hell he was doing.

Daryl hid his eyes behind his dark sunglasses. He didn't want anyone to see tear up a little when they lowered the coffin into the ground. He clutched Teddy's hand hard and kept her close by his side all throughout the service and even when people walked up to him, shaking his hand, clapping him on the shoulder and offering their condolences.

"Come on, sweetie. Let's go home and have a meal together. You look so thin, you need to eat." Bernadette said while she hugged Daryl again when the last person had left. Well, not the last person. Over the top of Bernadette's head Daryl saw Merle approaching with a sneer on his face.

"Oh isn't this a pretty picture. Darylina surrounded by his new loved ones. Or should I say, by her new owners? Look at cha. All dressed up. I'm surprised they didn't put a pink ribbon in yer hair, too."

"It's a funeral, Merle. We just buried our father. We ain't got no parents no more now. Ya get that?"

"Pfff, ya act like they ever loved ya. They didn't give a shit about us and ya know it. He don't deserve you dressing up for him. Should piss on his fucking grave, that's what we should do."

"You're out of line, son." Gerald warned him and took a step forward to stand in front of Daryl, as if trying to shield him from his brother's viciousness.

"I ain't yer son. And neither is he. Y'all can't make him one of yers. He's a Dixon. A piss poor redneck."

"He might be a Dixon, but he IS one of us. He is part of this family and no amount of vile things spewing from your mouth will change that." Gerald told him in his no-nonsense manner. "Now, we always have room at the table for one more, it's up to you to decide whether you want a place next to your brother or not. If you do, you will have to earn it. I won't have you there if you keep putting your brother down like this."

"Keep yer damn place. Ain't interested. I ain't a charity case. Ya know, little brother... ya used to call people like them pussies and sheep and now look at ya. All huddled up in the middle of the herd. Protected by Momma and Daddy Sheep."

"I said what you wanted me ta say. I never meant any of it. Just said what ya wanted ta hear to stay out of trouble. You say ya care, but ya never did. Beat me up, just like he did." Daryl pointed at the fresh grave. "I ain't leaving ya ta rot, as ya put it. Nobody is. All ya need to do is put in a little effort. Keep yer head down and adjust. But ya can't. All ya care about is what is comfortable for YOU. If ya wanna keep doin' it like that, fine, go ahead. But then keep the fuck out of ma life." Daryl had heard enough, he just wanted to get away from the cemetery and away from Merle and everything he represented. "Come on." he tugged on Teddy's hand and led the way towards the cars.

Merle just stood there, snorting derisively while he watched the group leave. He didn't want to admit it, but he knew that he had lost. Daryl had his head way too far up Daddy Robertson's ass to care about his older brother anymore. It sickened him and if it wouldn't get him thrown back into jail he would grab Daryl and beat some sense into him. Make him see that he's wrong and show him where he really belongs: Back with Merle in their own little, shitty apartment and play 'the Dixons against the rest of the world'. They had turned his baby brother into a spoiled little brat and even though Merle had lost this round, he wouldn't give up playing yet.

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**AN: Thank you so much for reading and supporting my little story by following and favoriting. All your reviews just make my day, thank you so very much for them. Gosh, who else is ready to just get this finale over with? So much anxiousness, God help us all. **

**Dear Snowbird: Once again, thank you so much for your wonderful review. And to answer your question: No, I never think about writing a book. My creativity just doesn't reach that far:) But God bless you for thinking I would be able to do it.**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The day after the funeral Teddy and Daryl were curled up on their couch at night. They were wearing their oldest and comfiest sweatpants and t-shirts, the chocolate-colored blanket made out of soft and warm micro fleece, was just covering their bare feet, so they wouldn't get cold. Teddy liked to crank up the A/C, because she liked cuddling up the her own personal furnace called Daryl and enjoy his warmth without sweating her ass off. It was the first week of August in Georgia, after all. Opening your eyes in the morning made you sweat. Teddy was comfortably trapped between the back of the couch and Daryl, laying on her side, her head nestled in the crook of his neck, one leg curled over his, her hand petting Roxy's head, which rested on Daryl's stomach. Daryl was playing with Teddy's hair. It was so long now, she kept sitting on it. She said she'd have it cut in the next couple of days and Daryl was silently saying goodbye with his fingers. His other hand was petting the other girl in his life. Roxy had her eyes closed, blissfully sighing at having both, her beloved Daddy and her Momma, lavish attention on her.

Teddy had popped a CD into the DVD-player earlier (she didn't own a CD-player anymore) and Daryl had frowned when he had heard the music start to play. It had sounded like classical music and he really wasn't into that. Teddy had grinned at him, asking him to give it a try. It was classical music with a twist.

"The band is called Apocalyptica. They are famous for playing Metallica songs with just four cellos. Give it a chance."

Enter Sandman had been the first song and although it took some getting used to, Daryl had to admit that it wasn't half bad. He found himself relax and tap his fingers on top of Roxy's back occasionally. They didn't talk for a long while. The three of them just snuggled and listened to the music and enjoyed being close, forgetting about all the crap that was going on in their lives right now. It must have been close to an hour of silence between them until Daryl's voice caught her attention.

"Tell me something about ya I don't know yet."

"Like what?" Teddy craned her head up to look at him, making Daryl's heart swell in his chest when she gave him that smile she only reserved for him. It wasn't her big, bright and radiant smile, this one was smaller and way more intimate somehow, her eyes held that expression of adoration for him, making him wonder how on earth he had gotten her to adore HIM of all people. He'd only ever seen her give HIM that smile, so to him it was special and heartwarming.

"Anythin'." he shrugged, not really caring what it would be, as long as he would learn more about her.

"Alright, let's see." She bit her lip in concentration while she tried to think of something. Daryl watched her with a little smile of his own on his lips. She was so goddamn cute. "I once won second place in a drawing competition in third grade."

"Really?" his eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Ya can draw?"

"Hell no. It was like fingerpaint or something. I don't even know why I got second place. The local bank had some kind of environment thing going on and started this competition, asking schools to have their students submit drawings and paintings with an environmental theme. There were a bunch of schools participating, I was really surprised to have won something."

"What did ya draw?"

"I don't even remember. All I remember is that there was a sun on it. It really wasn't anything special, I still remember that I really hadn't put anything special on it. I think it was just the sun and a bunch of flowers or something. That's why I was so surprised that it won second place. I got to go to the bank and they took our picture and put it in the paper and the prize was a mini-greenhouse for the windowsill and a couple packets of seeds. Was kinda cool." she grinned, remembering how excited she had been about winning an actual prize back then.

"Picture in the paper, huh? Did anyone even see yer face with that wild perm you were sportin' when ya were little?" Daryl teased her and tickled her ribs. Bernadette had shown him photo albums of Teddy's and Billy's childhood. Teddy had had the wildest hair he had ever seen on anyone that age.

"I did not have a perm, Daryl Dixon!" she mock-scolded him while she squirmed away from his fingers that were tickling her. "I just have really curly hair. You just wait when I cut it, it'll come out more again. I'm sick and tired of blow-drying it straight every couple of days anyway. Takes forever. Might just walk around looking like a mop for a while."

"I don't mind." Daryl grinned and threaded both his hands into her hair now, bunching it in his fists and tugging it a little. "It's fucking sexy all wild. I love it that way. Wild mane like a lion. Ma hot little wildcat. Suits ya." he grinned broadly, showing off his fangs again, making Teddy giggle.

"So we're lions now? You got the hair and the fangs... guess it makes sense."

"Yeah. It does." He pulled her face up to meet his and kissed her lovingly. A soft and tender press of lips, their tongues meeting and caressing each other briefly. He kissed the tip of her nose after breaking the kiss and looked down at her with a smile, his curiosity not satisfied yet. "So what else? Tell me more."

"Mmmm, let's see,... I used to play ping-pong for a year or two. And I was really good. Regional champion runner-up."

"Already knew that. I cleaned out your closet, remember? Found the trophies in a box."

"Right. I never made first place for anything. Came close a couple of times but never really got it. But that's okay. Leaves something for me to achieve later in life. Be the best at something."

"Yer the best girlfriend." Daryl smirked, making Teddy shake her head vehemently.

"Nope, I'm not. Too jealous to be the best. Also, you don't really have another point of reference." she pointed out to him.

"True. Okay, tell me something else then. Still only told me one thing I didn't know."

"I hate dancing. I think it's embarrassing. I won't ever do it, especially not in public."

"What about yer own wedding? Isn't that what your s'pposed ta do at the party? First dance or something?"

"Yes, but I won't even do it then. I swear, if I would be standing in front of a firing squad and the only way to save my life would be to dance in public with somebody else or alone or whatever, I would beg for a blindfold and ask them to get it over with. I would not dance. Ever." Daryl's chest was rumbling with laughter. He wasn't the dancing kind either, but he never expected this strong opinion toward dancing from a woman.

"That bad, huh?"

"Oh yeah. I'm like a guy in that department. Now it's your turn. What's something I don't know about you?" Teddy asked him and looked up at him curiously. Daryl looked into her eyes and cradled her jaw in his left hand, letting his thumb rub over he cheek, like she often did to him.

"That I love you." he stated quietly, watching a big smile spread Teddy's lips.

"You're gonna have to go again, because I already knew that." she told him while she leaned up and kissed his lips gently.

"Yeah? Ya did?"

"Yes. You show me every day. So tell me something else."

"I don't wanna live here anymore." he said with a deep sigh. Teddy's eyes narrowed, her brows furrowing when she looked up at him again.

"What do you mean? Here? This apartment, or-"

"No, no, not the apartment." he quickly clarified. "Well, kinda. I just don't wanna live in this fucking town anymore. It really is like goddamn poison. I'll never be anything but a fucked up Dixon here. And you won't be anything but the slut that fucks the screw-up Dixon. Ain't my own words, obviously."

"I would hope not." Teddy deadpanned, before Daryl continued.

"Maybe as soon as I get released, we should pack up and get outta here. Start fresh somewhere else."

"Baby, stop acting like you're going to jail."

"I will. This is taking far too long. It's been almost a week."

"This is not the only case they have, they have to go through all the statements and shit... it takes time."

"Yeah." Daryl trailed off and stared at the ceiling for a minute. "Can't do it anyway. Move away. Your job's here. My job's here. Or not..." he trailed off again, remembering that Mike might let him go after all that's gone down. He wasn't allowed to go to work until the investigation was completed, because he wasn't allowed to have any contact with his accuser. Billy had told Daryl that the guys were putting pressure on Mike to let Sandra go, though, because she was the one who'd fucked everything up. It felt nice to have everybody stick up for him, but who knew if it would actually help.

"It's all gonna work out. It always does." Teddy muttered and rubbed her hand over his chest in an attempt to relax him again.

"Just all this waiting... never been good at it."

"Doesn't hunting consist of mostly waiting?"

"That's different. Fuck I could use a good hunt. I'm going out of ma damn mind." he groaned and rubbed his face hard in frustration. His whole body was a bundle of pent-up tension and it had just kept building up over the past one and a half weeks. This was their first quiet night with just the two of them since before Teddy left for Austin.

"You need to blow off some steam, hm? I think I can help with that." She grinned against his neck, her hand sliding down towards the waistband of his sweatpants.

"Roxy, bed." Daryl pointed towards her bed in the corner of the living room. Roxy got up and jumped off the couch with a sound of displeasure, but she trudged towards her bed anyway. Daryl was practicing commands they learned at dog obedience school with her constantly and she was a fast and eager learner. She knew she'd get a reward later.

"Shit." he groaned when she threaded her fingers through his pubic hair, tugging gently, sending bolts of lust shooting through his groin. She loved doing that. Some nights on the couch when they were watching TV she would just play around and stroke her fingers through his patch of hair down there until he couldn't take it anymore and damn near attacked her. "Been way too long, girl."

"Tell me about it." she said between placing hot open-mouthed kisses on his neck while her hand slowly pumped his hardening length. "How do you want it, baby?"

"Suck me off. Want yer mouth." he groaned deeply, following up with a promise. "Gonna fuck ya into the damn mattress later. Gotta let the neighbors know that we're still here."

"Yeah, we've spared them long enough." Teddy giggled while she sat up on her knees and pulled him up so she could get rid of his shirt. His sweatpants soon followed and Teddy wasted no time in going to work. She traced her tongue along his shaft from bottom to top, making him hiss by swirling her tongue over his swollen tip. She wrapped her hand around him again, enjoying the solid weight of him in her palm. "Damn baby, you're throbbing already."

"Yeah. Like I said, been too long. No teasin', ya hear?" he told her while he buried his hands in her hair.

"No teasing, I promise." she knew that he wasn't in the mood for playing around. He needed release, plain and simple, and she was more than happy to oblige. She licked over the head once more before she wrapped her lips around him, making him groan in pleasure when she started sucking and bobbing her head, caressing him with her tongue, while her hands worked his shaft and his balls. His hands tightened their hold on her hair and started guiding her head, showing him what he needed.

"Fuck,... that's it babe, don't stop doing that." he growled when she had found the perfect rhythm. She was alternating between rolling his balls in her palm and tugging on them a little and the combination of that and having her mouth on his dick, using just the right amount of suction, had him sweating and fighting against the urge to pump his hips up in no time. She hummed around him, sending pleasant vibrations along his dick and he knew he wouldn't be able to hold his orgasm back for long. Her enthusiasm to do this for him always added to the experience. She always moaned around him like he was the best thing she'd ever had in her mouth and it turned him on to no end.

"Gon' blow, darlin'." he ground out between clenched teeth when the pressure quickly built. She'd already felt it by his balls drawing up and she quickly used two fingers to push up against that magical spot behind his balls that always made him see stars.

Daryl's eyes squeezed shut tightly, his teeth bared while he pressed his head back into his neck, his hands in her hair tightening into fists, pulling hard on the strands. She had him release a series of quiet whimpers, his hips lifted off the bed, his whole body tensing up like a bow string, ready to fire, perfectly still for a split-second, then his hips stuttered, jerking haphazardly with the force of his orgasm. He wasn't breathing, he wasn't making a single sound. Teddy's gaze flicked up to him while his essence filled her mouth and she knew he was cumming hard, his face contorted in a mask of intense pleasure, holding his breath while he rode it out. Nothing but his hips was moving.

Teddy released him from her mouth, her hand softly stroking him through his aftershocks, her other hand going to his chest. "Breathe, baby!"

That brought Daryl back to planet earth and he gasped heavily, his breathing erratic when he greedily sucked oxygen back into his lungs. His eyes opened for a moment, staring at her unseeingly, before they fell shut again. Teddy smiled and pushed some hair out of his face before she grabbed the blanket and pulled it up to cover his whole body. She knew this time Daryl wouldn't keep his promise. There would be no fucking her into the mattress. He was exhausted, he hadn't slept longer than an hour or two a night for a week. She didn't mind being left wanting for once. Daryl needed his rest and if this had helped to make him go to sleep peacefully, then that was all she needed that night.

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On Wednesday morning Daryl was left to his own devices again, since Teddy had returned to work the previous day, after her week long absence from the practice. He was just loading the dishwasher with their breakfast dishes when the phone rang. He felt like he was about to pass out when he checked the caller ID and saw that it was the lawyer Bernadette and Gerald had hired for him. This was it. He was gonna tell him that cops were on their way to arrest him. His hand was shaking when he pressed the green button to accept the call and lifted the phone to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Am I speaking to Mr Daryl Dixon?"

"Yeah."

"Ah good, this is Matthew Wisenhunt, the law-"

"I know who ya are." Daryl interrupted him nervously.

"Okay. The reason for my call is that I just got off the phone with the Pickens County Sheriff's Department. I called them for an update on your case and I am happy to be able to inform you, that they are not going to charge you with anything due to insufficient evidence. Everybody they talked to told them that Mrs Dempsey was the aggressor and that you merely defended yourself against her unwanted advances. Medical records also showed that she didn't have a single mark on her."

"That's it? Nothing's gon' happen? I'm free?" Daryl's heart was slamming against his ribcage in earnest, he was shaking even more now, but purely out of relief.

"Yes, you're a free man. There won't be any charges. You're innocent. If you want I can get in touch with your employer and inform him and ask him how he wants to proceed regarding the delicate situation with you both being employed there."

"Yeah, might not be a bad idea." Daryl agreed. He hoped he would be able to keep his job. Even though he'd been acquitted now, people knew about the accusations and getting hired somewhere else would be a bitch.

"I will do that then and contact you as soon as I know what's going to happen. Congratulations Mr. Dixon. Have a nice day. Go and celebrate with your loved ones."

"Ya can bet yer ass I will." Daryl told the man, who chuckled in return. They said their goodbyes and Daryl tossed the phone on the kitchen counter. He paced the kitchen for a while, rubbing his face with his hands, trying to process everything. He stopped in front of the fridge, with his face still buried in his hands he leaned his head against the cool metal of the fridge and released a deep shaky breath. "Thank fucking God."

As soon as he had regained his composure he got dressed and put Roxy in her harness. He couldn't wait until lunch break to tell Teddy, he had to tell her now. So off he went and arrived at the practice 20 minutes later. He had to fight off a grin when he remembered the last time he'd been here. It had been the night of the party when Teddy had stitched him up. It had practically been the start of their relationship and he would never ever forget it. Almost 6 whole months had passed since that night, they had been officially dating for almost 4 months now. It was weird, it felt like 4 days and then again like 4 years to Daryl. Time had passed so quickly, but at the same time he felt like they've been together forever. Funny how that worked.

"Hey. I wanna see Teddy real quick when she's free." he told Judy after stepping up to the receptionist's desk.

"She's free right now, just go on in." Judy smiled at him. They had never been formally introduced, but she had lived in Jasper all her life, she knew who the Dixons were and even if she didn't, the dog would have given it away. Gerald and Teddy had showed her pictures.

"That way, right?" Daryl asked, pointing to his right.

"Exactly. Second door on the right." Judy confirmed, pointing towards it from where she sat. Daryl nodded a thank you and walked towards it. Knocking once before going in.

Teddy looked up when the door opened and couldn't have been more surprised when she saw her boyfriend enter her office.

"Honey? What are you doing here? Did you hurt yourself?" she got up and rounded her desk with a concerned look on her face. Daryl couldn't help his face-splitting smile, he had never been more relieved in his life.

"I'm fine. Better than that actually. Lawyer called like half an hour ago. There ain't gon' be no charges. The whole thing is over." he told her quickly and pulling her into his arms.

"Oh thank God." Teddy breathed and pressed herself against him, hiding her face in his chest to hide the tears that were welling up in her eyes. It was futile though, Daryl was able to read her like an open book and the little shake of her body told him enough.

"I knew ya were worried, too." he told her while he hugged her to him. "No matter how often ya told me that ya weren't, I still knew. But thanks for staying strong for the both of us." he tilted her face up by pushing his index finger against her chin and kissed her hard.

"You got it. Thank God, now we can finally get back to our lives without all this goddamn worrying. You can finally sleep better again."

"Hell yeah. Gonna take the mother of all naps after this." he chuckled.

"Yeah you do that. I'm gonna let the family know, okay? Or you wanna do it yourself?"

"Nah, I just wanna sleep until family dinner tonight." he grinned. "We're still on for that right? Actually looking forward to it."

"You ALWAYS look forward to it, you don't have any of us fooled there." Teddy grinned and poked him in the stomach.

"Shit, that predictable, huh? I'm losin' ma touch."

"No, not at all. You still got it. But you should see yourself when you sit at that table, watching us all talk and bicker while you eat Rosario's food. Like a kid on Christmas morning."

"It IS good food." he grinned with a wink.

"It is." she smiled and kissed him once more before she put some distance between them. "Now go get out of here. I have work to do. Take your nap, honey."

Teddy ushered him out and then saw her next patient before she went to tell her father the good news. They called her mother together and Teddy had to fight her tears again, when she heard her mother's voice break when she heard that Daryl would not be prosecuted for shoving Sandra. She was crying tears of happiness and it once again reminded Teddy how funny it was, how much her family had fallen in love with Daryl. If you would have told Bernadette six months ago that she would one day cry happy tears because Daryl Dixon WASN'T going to jail, she would have had you committed to a looney bin. All it had taken was for them to let go of their prejudices and give him a real chance. Once single meeting had been enough and he'd had them wrapped around his little finger. Especially her mother. Her father had taken slightly longer to come around, but now he loved him like Daryl was his own. He'd done everything to make sure Daryl would never know how horribly his father's life had ended and he'd gladly paid big bucks to get the best lawyer this side of Atlanta on board to make sure Daryl would have the best chances should push have come to shove. And if it was what Daryl wanted and what would make him happy, Gerald would even give Merle a chance and include him in the family, but the older Dixon brother would have to earn that chance first. So far it didn't look like Merle had any particular interest in being in his brother's life. At least not if it was on Daryl's terms.

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"Uh, got some yard time? Yer bitch lettin' ya out so you can take yer other bitch for a walk?" Daryl rolled his eyes when he heard Merle's voice booming to his right, while he was on his way back home.

"You stalking me or something?" Daryl asked him annoyed.

"Hey, it's a small town and there's nothing much ta do 'round here. We're bound ta run into each other. What cha doin'? Window shoppin'? Looking for the next thing you want her ta buy fer ya? Where's the rest of yer pack? Too busy counting their dollars?"

"What's your fucking problem, Merle? Huh?"

"Ma problem is YOU... turnin' yer back on family. On yer own blood, for THEM."

"You don't get it, do ya? I ain't turnin' ma back. That's what YOU're doin'. You're getting' chances left and right and all ya do is piss on 'em. Ain't ya tired of this bullshit? Yer 47 fucking years old. Don't ya think it's time ta get a grip on yer life? Get a job, be able ta pay fer yer own place? Be able ta pay for fucking gas and food? Finally have some kind of family life? The in-laws are good people. They fucking apologized ta me, they know they were wrong and they ain't ashamed ta admit it to ma face. They don't think they're better than us. They been good ta me and they could be good ta you, too. All ya need ta do is make an effort, finally getting clean and staying that way. Try ta fit in a little, adjust. But no, that would take work, right? Because they ain't willin' to bow down ta King Merle, they are assholes, right? Nah, you're the asshole here. Always have been. Ain't no one turning their back on ya. They offered you a place at the table. All ya need ta do is be a decent human being for once. I know it's in you. We ain't got no parents no more, Merle. We're the only blood we got left. You know, ya always talked a big game, but you was never there. Always strung out or in jail. I always fended for maself, then I dropped everything and walked away from what I had as soon as ya remembered that I still existed. Not this time. Ain't walking away from Teddy. Never. Ya got that?" Daryl had talked himself into a rage, yelling at his brother in the middle of the street.

"Well, well, well... so ya still have yer balls. I'm impressed." Merle grinned and licked his teeth.

"Jesus fucking Christ. Did ya even hear anything I said? Do ya even care?"

"Oh I heard ya alright. Ya want us all ta be a big happy family. The Robertson's and their two charity cases."

"It ain't like that. They ain't 'bout money. They have it, but they don't rub it in yer face all the goddamn time. They are willing to give you a chance. Why is it so fucking hard for you to do the same?" Daryl shook his head in disappointment and started to walk away, knowing that he'd just waste his breath on trying to talk sense into his brother. At least Merle wasn't yelling anything after him. It meant he had given his brother at least a little something to think about. Whether that was a good or a bad thing remained to be seen. Merle for the most part was just surprised. Daryl had learned to stand up straight and to stand up to him. Even though it bothered Merle that he was no longer able to mold his brother to his liking, he was also a little proud. Maybe his brother would turn into a man at last, after all.

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"There's ma little wildcat." Daryl grinned upon seeing her when she came into the living room. "You didn't tell me ya were gonna have it cut today."

"I had it planned for Friday, but you wanted to sleep and I figured this way I was able to give you an hour or two more sleep before I came home and woke you up by making a racket. You like it?"

Daryl nodded while he fisted the wild and wavy strands in his hands. They no longer went down to her ass, but "only" to the underside of her breasts. "It's hot."

"Thanks. I think I am four pounds lighter now." she laughed and squealed when Daryl lifted her into his arms, shifting her from side to side a little.

"Hm, feels more like three and a half." he stated seriously, before a smirk found its way onto his lips at Teddy's laughter.

"You're silly." she said smilingly and kissed him. "Now let me down. I wanna change before dinner."

Daryl put her down on the floor, smacking her ass with a happy grunt, loving the giggle that erupted from her mouth. Teddy had just reached the door to the living room when they heard a knock on the front door. She looked back at Daryl with a frown.

"You expecting somebody?"

"No." he said and went up to her, staying right behind her when she went to open. They were both relieved to see Billy and Maggie instead of potential bad news.

"Hey you guys. What are you doing here?" Teddy smiled in surprise and hugged her brother and Maggie. "Is there no dinner tonight?"

"There is. We just wanted to stop by and talk to you before we all go over there." Maggie smiled.

"Oh my God you're getting married!" Teddy exclaimed immediately, stunning all three of them, Daryl, Billy and Maggie.

"See? I told you she would know right away. I know my sister." Billy sighed sullenly.

"Yes okay, you were right. You get your reward later." Maggie laughed and Teddy's jaw dropped to the floor.

"Oh my God. You're serious? I was totally joking!" She looked questioningly back and forth between the pair until Maggie held up her hand, showing off her beautiful engagement ring.

"Totally serious." she grinned happily and started awwww-ing, when she saw the tears in Teddy's eyes.

"Oh my God." she repeated tearfully, causing Billy to laugh.

"Yeah, you said that... Anything else you wanna say?"

"I'm so happy for you! Oh man, this is awesome. Congratulations you two." she hugged Maggie hard and then nearly jumped her brother, kissing his cheek before she cradled his face in her hands and gave him a big smile. "Looks like you got some brains in there after all. You're smart not to let this one go."

Daryl awkwardly stuck his hand out and shook Maggie's hand, while he cleared his throat. "Congrats."

"Thank you, Daryl." Maggie put her free hand on top of his, squeezing it between hers affectionately. He repeated the handshake with Billy and gave him an awkward smile. Billy was too caught up in his happy news to notice Daryl's behavior. He took Maggie's hand and walked with her and Teddy into the kitchen, while Daryl slowly followed them. He felt weird. Inexplicably so. He wouldn't be able to describe it if his life depended on it. Teddy on the other hand looked like she was about to burst like a little firework, she was so happy. Daryl was happy, too, for his friends, but mostly he felt weird. Like a pit in his stomach.

"We wanted you two to be the first to know. We're gonna tell Mom and Dad at dinner. Well actually you are the second group to know. I asked Herschel for permission to marry his daughter, so they already know." Billy told them with a beaming smile that mirrored that of his twin sister.

"You did? Oh geez, that is so cute. Didn't know you were so traditional." Teddy grinned.

"Well, it's not really me, but I know that her family values those kind of traditions and so does she, so I wanted to do right by her and by them."

"My dad said, that Billy was so visibly nervous that he looked like he was about to faint and that it kind of told him what Billy wanted to ask. But he really appreciated Billy doing it." Maggie smiled proudly and squeezed her fiancé's hand.

"Amazing. I'm really happy for you. Do you have anything in mind yet? Like when you wanna do it or are you not stressing out about it and want a long engagement?" Teddy asked, buzzing with excitement.

"Actually, we're gonna get married pretty quick." Maggie said. "After all, I wanna look pretty on my wedding day and fit into a normal dress."

Teddy almost fell off her chair, a fresh batch of tears flowing freely over her cheeks. "No way... You're pregnant?"

"Yeah... we found out on Monday... but of course it wasn't the right time to say anything. We wanted to wait with everything until we knew about what would happen with the investigation. It's still pretty new,... I just took a home test. It would be great if you could confirm it?" Maggie asked carefully, not knowing if it would be weird to ask her sister-in-law to do that.

"Yeah of course. Just come in when you find the time." Teddy sobbed, barely able to talk. Daryl looked at her concerned and gently touched her back.

"You okay?" he figured the baby news might be too much for her. That it somehow hurt her.

"I'm fine. I'm just so happy. My God,... Billy, you're gonna be a daddy. You are gonna be so awesome, you were so great with Milo. Oh my God, Mom and Dad are gonna pee themselves when you tell them. Uuuuhh, I'm gonna be an aunt. Daryl, babe, you're gonna be an uncle! Auntie Teddy and Uncle Daryl, shit I love it. We'll babysit any time!"

"Gosh, you're gonna have to fight over this baby with all the other babysitters that already volunteered. I know we weren't supposed to say anything until I'm three months along, but I just couldn't help it. I had to tell my sister and then my brother and my dad. They are all so excited and offered to babysit whenever we needed a sitter."

"Yeah, our parents are sure as hell gonna volunteer as well. You'll have trouble choosing one when the time comes. But that's good, better than not having a sitter at all. You know it could be twins right?" Teddy teased and laughed out loud at Maggie's startled expression.

"That hadn't even crossed my mind. That's a scary thought." Maggie laughed.

"Don't worry about it. Like you said, you have so much help, you'd probably be able to rock triplets without much trouble."

"Teddy Robertson, you stop that right now." Maggie scolded her smilingly. "It's not nice to scare a pregnant lady."

"I'm just teasing. But it could happen."

Teddy hugged the now engaged AND expecting couple again, while Daryl offered his "congrats" again. They were just chattering on and on, not noticing the frown Daryl sported the entire time. He was still sporting it over dinner at her parents' house, but still nobody noticed, everybody was busy crying and being happy. Even Gerald cried and kept hugging and kissing on the two and Bernadette had Rosario bring them a bottle of champagne to celebrate this day full of good news. Daryl wouldn't be charged with assault and battery and there would be two official additions to the Robertson family: Maggie and the baby. It was a joyous occasion and once again, Daryl was very happy for the two of them and for the grandparents-to-be, but then again, there was this feeling inside of him that he couldn't shake.

He just felt weird.

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**AN: Thank you everybody. I can't thank you enough for reading this little thing that keeps ghosting through my mind a lot of the time. **

**Daryl feels weird, just weird, lol. I wonder why...**

**I wish all of us lots of strength and strong nerves for this finale. No, personally I don't think Daryl will die, but they might toy with us and give us a cliffhanger and keep us in the dark for 6 months about Daryl's "health status".**

**My lovely reviewers. My PM's can't even express my gratitude for your replies and your thoughts on my chapters. I love them so much and look what they made me do, write at record speed once again.**

**Dear Snowbird: Thanks again for your kind words. In my last author's note I wasn't referring to the finale of the story, but to the season finale of the show. I do have an endgame planned out for this story and while I can't say exactly how many chapters it will take to get there, I can say that there are still quite a bunch of things that need to happen before it can play out. AND: There might be a sequel. I will probably take a break and write another story in between, but I might return to Teddy and Daryl and tell more about their story.  
**


	20. Chapter 20

Daryl thought that his slightly subdued mood had gone unnoticed by everybody, but it hadn't. While everybody else chalked it up to him being emotionally drained and exhausted from the past week's events, Teddy knew that wasn't it. Or at least she strongly suspected it.

"You're sad." she stated, while they laid in bed later that night. She gently pushed some hair out of his eyes, stroking her fingertips over his forehead and temple lovingly. Their cooling bodies were entangled in the sheets and entangled in each other, a post-coital calm settling over them.

Daryl began chewing on his lip and looked down, away from her knowing gaze. Was he sad? He hadn't been able to name the feeling that had settled itself over him earlier, but now that she had provided a name for it, he realized that it was exactly what he was.

He shrugged and shook his head awkwardly, telling her that she was right, but that he did not know what to say. He felt silly for feeling the way he did, but he couldn't help it. He was happy for Maggie and Billy, he truly was, but he was sad that it wasn't him and Teddy, and that it probably never was going to be them.

"Do you really want a child that much?" Teddy asked softly, deep down pretty sure that she already knew the answer.

"Some day, yeah. It's a dream." he said and stared at the ceiling after untangling from her and turning on his back. "Having a real family. One of the things I always wanted. Never thought I'd get it. Then you came along. Got ma hopes up,... "

"I want to give you the world Daryl. I want to give you everything you ever wished for and make you the happiest man alive. That you are happy is the most important thing in the world to me these days. I would do anything,... I would give anything... but this? I don't know if I will ever be able to give you a child, Daryl"

"You said you might change yer mind." he reminded her of what she had told him, the night he had found the box with Milo's things.

"I did. I am going to be completely honest with you. I would love to have one with you. I'm so in love with you, I don't think you have any idea how much. I would love to go the whole nine yards and get married one day and have a baby one day, have it grow up with Roxy and the cat we'll be getting soon, in a house in the woods that you built for us, just like you always wanted to... but I just don't know if I'll ever be emotionally ready and if I'll ever get over these fears I have of losing another child."

"How fucking likely would that even be? That it's gon' happen again?" Daryl asked her and expected a serious answer. He was fired up. She had admitted that she wanted a kid with him, it was just her fears holding her back. That he could work with.

"Not, too likely I guess, but it's not just that it could die like Milo did, Daryl. So much can happen during pregnancy already. I could have a miscarriage, it could be stillborn. It could have a birth defect, be sick it's whole short life before it died. He or she could be fine for years, could turn 14, 30 or freaking 45 without incident, but then out of the blue get sick or get hit by a car or whatever and die. I don't know if I can live with that fear for the rest of my life Daryl. I know every parent has those fears to some extent, but I already lived through it, the fear is a million times worse, because I know how much it hurts. I'm scared that once we have a baby, that I'll be afraid of living. That I'll only feel good if I keep that child locked up in a room with me where I can watch it 24/7." Teddy had started out calm and collected, but the more she talked, the more frantic she got when all the various images and scenarios went through her head.

"You're already afraid of livin', Teddy." Daryl told her and took hold of her hand, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand soothingly. "You're already afraid. You want a family, too, but those fears keep ya from having one, because you're scared of losing it again. So that reasoning don't make no sense. It's already happening, even without havin' a kid. I'm not sayin' we should have a kid tomorrow or next week or next month, we ain't in no rush, but ya should think about what I said. Yer already keepin' yerself from livin' the way ya wanna live and according ta you, that ain't the way it's s'pposed ta be. Sometime ya gotta take some chances and some risks, face yer fears. Ain't that worth it when it can give ya what ya want most in life?"

"Usually I would agree with you, Daryl, but this is different."

"No, it really ain't. Yer makin' it different." he sighed and raked his hands through his hair in frustration while he stared back at the ceiling for a moment, trying to find his next words. "Every day millions of couples have kids and everything's fine. Why should that kind of shit happen to you twice? Really? What are the damn odds of that happening twice? Have a kid die on you way before its time?"

"I know what you're saying Daryl. Really, I do. And I know the odds are probably in our favor,-"

"Exactly. It would be fine. And even if it wouldn't be, we got each other. As long as we stick together we can live through anythin'. Just think about it again. Don't dismiss it again right away, saying you'd be too scared. I already explained yer whole reasoning away within two fucking minutes. Ya just gotta jump. Ya know it would be worth it. Like I said, not tomorrow, not next month, but some day. Ya don't have ta be scared. I'm with ya. I'll jump with ya and hold yer hand doin' it and I won't let go, no matter if we land on our feet or if we crash to the ground and crush every single bone in our body. I can promise ya that."

Teddy's bottom lip quivered and she quickly wiped away a tear that had spilled out of her right eye. "Now look, you and your stupid redneck romance made me cry."

"Just think about it, 'kay? Take yer time." he said and kissed the knuckles of her hand.

"Okay, I will." she leaned over him and kissed him affectionately.

"Good. Now let's sleep. It's after midnight and you need to get up at six. Yer cranky when ya don't get enough sleep." Daryl reached over and turned of the lamp on the nightstand, while Teddy rolled over on her side.

"Who isn't cranky when they're tired?" she murmured and buried the side of her face into her pillow while Daryl's hand found its way to its usual spot on her butt.

"True." he yawned, before they fell silent and soon drifted off to sleep.

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Maggie came in two days later on Friday afternoon to have Teddy confirm the pregnancy. She had Maggie give her a urine sample, then she took some blood and examined her, before she did an internal ultrasound. Maggie looked anxiously back and forth between the monitor and Teddy who was narrowing her eyes while she looked at the screen, highly focused on the image that was displayed.

"Your ovaries look good,... now let's see,... sorry I know it isn't the most comfortable thing in the world." Teddy apologized while she pushed the ultrasound transducer a little harder against her cervix.

"That's okay." Maggie breathed deeply. She was nervous, so far Teddy hasn't let anything on about the test result. Teddy worked some buttons on the ultrasound machine and then turned the screen towards Maggie.

"Congratulations, Ms Greene. There's your baby." she smiled brightly and pointed it out to her future sister-in-law. Maggie's eyes started to water and the smile she sported was so big that it looked like it hurt.

"Oh my God, it's so tiny."

"It is, but trust me, there will come the day you will wish it would still be this small. Here, that's the left arm and a little leg. And there's the heart, you can see it beat."

"No way. Wow. Can I hear it?"

"It's still too early for that, but probably during the next one. You are measuring at 8 weeks and 3 days today, so let's try it again in two weeks. I'll print you a picture. Everything looks great so far, you can get dressed and then we'll talk about what's next." Teddy smiled and withdrew the ultrasound transducer from inside Maggie and threw the protective latex sheath into the trash bin.

"This is so exciting. Is it weird that I already feel fat?"

"No, not at all. When I found out I was pregnant, I immediately thought people would be able to tell right away, that I was already showing. A lot of women feel like that." Teddy grinned, still remembering vividly how excited she had been when she had finally started to show.

"And when can I find out the sex of the baby? Soon? I definitely wanna know."

"That's gonna take another 2 months. Between 16-20 weeks of pregnancy is your best bet. Alright, here's your picture. Your estimated due date is the 20th of March. You're lucky, you won't have to be in the end stages of pregnancy when it's super duper hot outside. But you know what? You are 9 weeks along already. You don't have that long anymore before you'll start to show, so the whole wedding dress thing... You might have to reconsider or plan like the wind."

"Plan like the wind it is." Maggie laughed. "So anything I have to watch out for now?"

Maggie soon wished she hadn't asked as Teddy handed her list after list and pamphlet after pamphlet of foods and activities and other things she should avoid. She also recommended prenatal vitamins and some ways that might help Maggie alleviate that morning sickness.

"We can still have sex, right?" Maggie asked last but not least.

"Everything looks great, so if you feel like it, screw your brains out. I'll call when the test results for your blood work are back, but only if there's something out of the ordinary."

"Sounds good. Alright, I'll be on my way then. Tell Gerald I said hi."

"Oh he's not here, he left early. Feels a bit under the weather and had a migraine."

"Oh, poor guy. Those are awful. But not surprising is it? It is so damn hot out there today, the sun really hurts your eyes."

"Oh yeah, I really miss the Seattle weather, I swear to God I would kill for a week of rain."

"Well you and Billy are gonna have it soon for a couple of days when you go there for Milo's birthday."

"Oh you're right. Hadn't thought about that just now."

"Okay, then if Gerald's not here, say hi to Daryl and I'll see you next week."

"You will. Bye Maggie and baby." Teddy gave a little wave while Maggie was on her way out and once the door closed she clapped her hands happily. She was beyond happy for Maggie and her brother and she was really excited to be a part of it and be able to help Maggie with her pregnancy.

Daryl and Roxy picked her up a couple of hours later and together they strolled through town hand in hand, stopping for ice-cream on their way home. Daryl had good news to share, he would be able to return to work on Monday and Sandra had been let go due to repeatedly harassing a co-worker. Things would finally completely go back to normal and Daryl would no longer go stir-crazy at home and screw the living bejesus out of Teddy twice a night to get rid of all this excess energy he had due to not working. Daryl was always moving and had tons of nervous energy and physical labor helped him cope with that. With that being gone it was Teddy who took the brunt of it. Gladly at first, but she had been starting to get kinda sore in the past two days.

They saw Merle across the street and Daryl just nodded a greeting his way and kept on walking home with Teddy. The older Dixon brother had watched them walk down the street before they had noticed him and he had to admit that his little brother had definitely changed. He was standing up straight and walking with his head held high. Some guys sitting outside of the bistro had checked out Teddy and earned a hard stare from Daryl. Even though he'd been wearing sunglasses, it had been clear that he meant business and the guys had wiped their sleazy smiles off their faces. Other than that Daryl really seemed happy. They were talking animatedly and smiling a lot. At one point Daryl had laughed and playfully dodged a swat from Teddy. Yep, his baby brother was definitely head over heels in love and the girl looked like it was the same for her. Jealousy wormed its way through every fiber of Merle's body. He was jealous that Daryl had managed to achieve getting a normal life. Good thing that his big brother would be around more often again to make sure that Daryl got a reality check every now and then, he thought to himself before he headed back inside the bar.

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The next morning Teddy was still fast asleep when Daryl came out of the bathroom after relieving himself. He was just about to climb back into back when he heard Teddy emit a low moan. All his senses were immediately on alert and his sharp eyes started scanning her body. He didn't have to let his gaze travel too far and a wolfish grin spread on his lips when he noticed her hard nipples poking through the thin white top she wore. He carefully slid back under the covers, fighting the temptation to slide his hand under that top of hers and cup one of those soft mounds in his palm, let his thumb rub over the hardened peak and squeeze the soft flesh with his hand until she arched her back up against him. Today was not the day for that. He knew she was getting very close to her period and while it made her a little hornier than usual, it also often caused her nipples to tighten and stiffen so much that it actually hurt a bit. He fucking loved the feel of her rock hard nipples against his fingers or his tongue, and his mouth watered like crazy looking at them now, but he knew if he'd go near them, especially with his fingers, she would hiss and just swat him away. He'd have to content himself with looking at them for now, maybe she would let him play with his tongue a little when he'd gotten her off.

With careful and precise movements he pulled the covers away from her body and piled them at the foot of their bed. Next he opened the drawer of his nightstand and pulled out his trusty buck knife he always kept there, just in case they'd get a "visitor" at night, and quickly sliced through the fabric of her panties on both sides of her hips. After putting the knife back in its usual spot he only had to pull the little triangle of black cotton away from her body to bare her to his hungry eyes.

Daryl unconsciously licked his lips when he had dropped the front part of her now shredded panties between her thighs, a shudder of anticipation running through him as his eyes took her in. This was his time to get his fill and really look at her and memorize every little detail about her most intimate body part. Even after all these months she still blushed and got a little bit uncomfortable when he looked at her longer than necessary. He thought it was cute and he always told her so, right before he went to town and played her like a fiddle.

His fingers slid through her dark pubic hair, resting them there while he used his thumb to trace the upper portion of her slit, seeking out her clit. He grinned again when he felt her swollen already.

'Gotta be one hell of a dream', he thought and shifted so he could lay down between her legs, one of them hooked over his left shoulder for better access. He pressed his nose against her mound first, breathing in her scent that always caused a sharp pull of lust within his groin. He ground his swelling dick against the mattress at the same time as his tongue moved out from between his lips and lapped at her clit with one long, slow stroke. Teddy still hadn't woken up, she really slept like the dead, she only shifted a little when Daryl caught the swollen bud between his teeth gently and rubbed the tip of his tongue in languid circles. When he started sucking, giving her nice and wet, hard pulls with his mouth, her breathing finally picked up and the sound of another moan drifted into his ear.

But her moans were soon drowned out by the sounds he was making as soon as he'd let his thumb take over playing with her clit and had moved his lips further down to push his tongue into her opening as deeply as he could.

"Mmmmmm,... mmm,... mmmmmmm..." his grunts sounded like he'd found the most delicious thing on earth and in his mind, he had.

Teddy's eyes snapped open, a gasp being torn from her mouth while she blinked, trying to get her vision to focus and her sleep-muddled brain to understand what was happening. She lifted her head and when she saw Daryl's dark head of hair between her legs, the pleasure he was causing finally actively registered and felt like it was attacking and rushing her like a football player out on the field. Air rushed out of her lungs when his thumb rubbed her just the right way, pleasurable heat spreading out from her center all throughout her body.

"Shit, baby. Don't stop. Please don't fucking stop. So good." she whispered breathlessy as her hand found its way into his hair, fisting it between her fingers, her tugging on the soft strands causing him to groan even louder against her sensitive flesh. "Oh God, close!" she moaned a moment later and pushed up on her feet, grinding her pelvis against his face while his thumb rubbed her with swift strokes up and down. Another moment later her breath hitched sharply and she stopped breathing for a couple of seconds before she flew right over the edge and convulsed around his tongue, his name a broken whisper while her body shook.

Daryl had to remove his tongue faster than he'd wanted, but he was close to suffocating. His erratic breathing matched hers when he crawled up her body, hovering over her on all fours. He grasped her chin in his hand and pulled her face towards his, his tongue slipping out of his mouth and right into hers, sharing her own taste with her while their tongues tangled. Soon, his need was throbbing painfully between his own legs, begging for release.

"Jerk me off?" he knew she needed a break from fucking and he didn't want her to start hurting for real. "I'd take care of it maself, but yer so fucking good at tug jobs, darlin'." he groaned against her jaw where he was busy nipping his was to her ear.

"Want it with lube? Or just like this?" she asked with a throaty, low voice while her fingernails lightly and teasingly raked down over his chest and sides and along his loins before stopping right at the base of his dick, that gave two big jumps when she came in contact with it.

"Just like this. Hard'n fast, babe. Ain't gon' be long anyway." he rasped against her ear before sucking the lobe between his lips.

Teddy wrapped one hand around his shaft tightly, knowing when he wanted hard and fast, he enjoyed rougher and firmer touches. Her other hand fondled his balls, making him groan directly into her ear.

"Gonna cum all over me? Mark me as yours?" Teddy moaned softly while her hands were taking care of him just the way he wanted her to, the hand on his length moving in short and hard jerks that gradually increased in speed.

"Wanna cum on your pussy, darlin'. You gon' let me?"

"Hell yeah. You can do whatever you want, babe. It's all yours."

"Damn right it's mine. Yer mine. Never gon' be nobody else no more." he breathed into her ear. He lowered himself on his forearms, one hand threading into her hair at the back of her head, pulling on it and twisting her head to the side. "Fuck, yer so goddamn good at this." he groaned before his mouth slanted over hers, engaging her in a passionate open-mouthed kiss with their tongues swirling around each other until she felt his balls draw up in her hand and he tore his mouth from hers with a loud groan. Teddy's gaze flicked down between them and she watched him cum with a satisfied smile on her face. She loved giving him hand jobs. She loved feeling his dick spasm against her palm and fingers, while he spurted his seed on her body.

When she wanted to keep moving her hand to milk him for everything he had, Daryl's hand quickly shot down and grabbed her wrist to hold her still and leaned his forehead against hers while he panted. "Nah, don't. Too much right now."

"I can make you cum again without touching your cock." she grinned. Daryl opened his eyes and lifted his head a little to look at her with a curious frown.

"How?"

Teddy didn't say anything, she just grinned and bit her lip while she lifted her hand and wriggled her index finger in front of his face. It took a moment for the penny to drop, but when it did his eyes widened and he actually blushed a little.

"Aw hell no!" he scoffed and let himself fall on his back next to her. "My ass is exit only, woman."

"Fine." she giggled and placed a big kiss on his lips before she got off the bed and walked towards the bathroom to take a shower. "But you don't know what you're missing."

"Pfff, I ain't like that." he grumbled quietly after the door had closed and grabbed his pack of smokes. Teddy hated when he smoked in the bedroom, but right now he didn't care. She was in the bathroom anyway and his limbs didn't feel like they were ready for him to get up and walk around yet. Only after he had finished his smoke he felt ready to get up and open the window.

"Hey, that mean if I ain't gonna let ya do that ta me, that you won't let me do it ta you?" he asked as soon as Teddy walked out of the bathroom and to her closet to get dressed.

"That what you think?"

"Dunno. That's why I'm asking."

"I'm not like that, you know that, baby. If you don't wanna do it, because it makes you uncomfortable then we won't do it."

"Yeah, sure. Ain't worried bout that." he said and cringed as soon as the words had left his mouth.

"No, of course not." Teddy had to fight a big grin. She knew he didn't mean for it to come out like that, but she still took the opportunity to fuck with him a little. She put on her seriously pissed off face and turned around to face him. "What you are worried about is me not letting you have my ass. That's all guys ever worry about. Thought you were different."

She had to turn her back on him again, because she was barely able to fight the laugh that was bubbling up inside of her, especially at seeing Daryl's guilty and slightly panicked expression.

"Shit, Teddy. I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry okay? Don't be mad, it just came out wrong, girl." he started to apologize profusely while getting out of bed to walk over to her.

Teddy finally couldn't contain herself anymore and started laughing. "Jesus, relax baby, I'm totally kidding. It's a guy thing. I get it." she kissed him in passing and winked. "Should have seen your face, though. Come on Roxie, let's go get some breakfast." Teddy called for their dog so she could put the harness on her.

"Rotten woman." Daryl narrowed his eyes at her and slowly followed her out of the room and watched her get Roxy ready. "Soooooo,... That mean you ain't opposed or...?"

"Take a shower and get coffee ready. We'll be back in about 20 minutes." Teddy grinned, before she walked towards the front door with Roxy. She was having way too much fun with this. Daryl was just too cute with being all eager for an answer on that.

"Rotten woman." he grumbled again, making Teddy laugh on her way out.

"You said that."

"Yeah, I meant it." he shouted after her, hearing her giggle before the door fell shut.

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"Stop it!" Teddy warned Daryl, who was leaning against the kitchen counter, staring at her while he drank some iced tea.

"Stop what?"

"I know that look. You're looking at me like you're gonna have me for lunch. Ain't gonna happen, buddy. I love you, but my body needs a break. I was barely able to wash myself without wincing." she explained while her eyes flicked over the pictures in the paper she was reading.

"Shit. I'm sorry. Didn't mean for it to get that bad."

"Nah, it's okay. I let you and I enjoyed it, but with that last round this morning I've had about as much as I can take, I'm afraid. I'm starting my period soon anyway. I never thought I would say this, but thank God you're going back to work on Monday. You really do need physical labor to function right."

"Yeah. Always been like that. Merle always said I was a fidgety fuck. Always been kinda nervous I guess. Need to do something with ma hands to keep me calm."

"How about we go for a run? That should tire you out a little, right?" Teddy suggested, trying to come up with ways to keep him busy and active.

"Ain't gonna go for no run where everybody can see. Don't got no runnin' shoes neither." He shot down her proposal, mumbling his words around his thumb, which he was chewing on.

"Okay, how about a little workout? We can do push ups or sit ups and all right here in our living room."

"That's lame."

"If you think so." Teddy shrugged and went back to reading her paper. "Wouldn't have been fun for you anyway. I would have beaten your ass at all of it." she said casually and hid a smirk when she saw him perk up out of the corner of her eye.

"That a challenge?" he asked with narrowed eyes, taking slow steps towards her.

"More like a fact." Teddy shrugged nonchalantly.

"Oh really? That so? Ya think you can do more push-ups and sit-ups than me?"

"Wanna bet?" she grinned at him, knowing she had him just where she wanted him. Of course she knew he would win, but that wasn't the point. She just wanted to get him active and get rid of that excess energy of his.

"What do I get when I win?" he asked cockily.

"I think you meant IF you win. Handjob? Blowjob? Your choice."

"Fine. What do you want IF you win?"

"Cookie dough fudge mint chip and we'll watch Mrs. Doubtfire on DVD."

"Fine, you're on. Get that ass in the living room." he grabbed her hands and pulled her up from her chair, smacking her ass while they went over to the other room.

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Teddy held her own, but of course Daryl won their little contest by a landslide. After that she convinced him to try other stuff, so Daryl ended up bench pressing his own girlfriend, did biceps curls by lifting her and did another 25 push ups with Teddy sitting on his back, before he collapsed on the ground, wonderfully spent and with a satisfying ache throbbing in his arms and torso. Leave it to his woman to know exactly what he'd needed. He hadn't felt this good and relaxed in over a week. Sex was a wonderful way to blow off some steam, but no matter how often they had done it, it had never been physically exhausting enough and his body had kept screaming for more. This was the first time since Teddy had left for Austin, that it had stopped screaming.

He was still breathing fast, but he had a big, happy smile on his face when Teddy laid on the floor next to him and pushed some sweaty strands of hair out of his eyes.

"Feel good?"

"Yeah. Kinda wish you woulda come up with that sooner." he said while he rolled to his side and pulled Teddy closer to him until she was pressed flush against him.

"So do I! You have no idea how much of a turn on that was. That you can do all that. That it actually takes so long for you to reach the point where you can't do any more. You're so fucking strong. All that stamina..." her voice was sultry and her cheeks flushed while she stroked her fingertips over the sweat-slicked skin of his biceps, tracing the prominent vein and the well-defined muscle.

Before she was able to say more, a strong hand was gripping the back of her neck and Daryl was pushing her on her back. Teddy was about to protest and push him off of her, but Daryl gripped her wrists and looked at her with a smile after breaking the kiss.

"I know, don't worry. Ain't gon' hurt ya. Jus' wanna be with ya like this fer a while. No funny business." he promised her and Teddy relaxed. Daryl's hand wandered underneath her clothes while he went back to kissing her, but it was only to feel her soft skin and to lavish some gentle attention on her body. They rolled around on the floor, making out like teenagers and enjoying every second of it. Daryl pushed his hands inside her yoga pants, gently rubbing and squeezing her ass before he lightly raked his nails up along the back of her thighs from above her knee all the way up to her butt cheeks.

Goosebumps broke out on her skin and Teddy shuddered and tore herself away from him with a giggle. "Okay, that's enough for now. How about you go take a quick shower to get rid of that sweat and then I'll give you a massage?"

"With a happy ending?" he grinned with a cocked eyebrow.

"You are insatiable, but hey, you did win, so I guess it's in the cards."

But they didn't get to that part. While Teddy was working her way down his spine after having done his arms and shoulders, there was a knock on the door. Teddy got up to look who it was, while Daryl quickly yanked on a T-shirt.

"Hey, there's ma pretty little sister-in-law." Merle grinned broadly after Teddy had opened the door. Teddy just kept looking at him, not saying anything and Merle nodded. "Alright, I get it. We didn't get off on the right foot, but I think it ain't too late ta try again, right? Here, a little peace offerin'." Merle handed her a bunch of white gardenias that looked a lot like they had been plucked out of the shrubs that were growing in front of the building.

"Fair enough. Come on in, Merle." Teddy accepted the flowers and stepped aside to let him enter.

"Hey baby brother. I didn't interrupt anything, did I?" Merle grinned at Daryl after he registered the smell of sweaty bodies in the air, that the pair hadn't aired out yet, and of course his observant eyes had immediately spotted the bottle of massage oil on the table.

"Whaddaya want, Merle?" Daryl was already annoyed by his brother's presence. Just when they were having a good day... go figure.

"Ah, don't get yer panties in a bunch. Ain't here ta start trouble. Came here ta make peace and get ta know the newest member of the family a little better." Merle motioned towards Teddy who was walking by with the gardenias in her hand.

"Really? What changed your mind?" Daryl was curious where this sudden change of heart came from.

"You were right 'bout what ya said. I'm too old for this crap and we ain't got anyone but us. Well, I ain't got nobody left but you,... you got yerself a new family. Not judging, just sayin'."

"Would you like some iced tea, Merle?" Teddy shouted from the kitchen where she was putting the flowers in a vase.

"I'd sure 'preciate that, princess. It's hotter than hell out there." Merle shouted back and watched Daryl get up from the couch, nodding his head towards the kitchen, motioning for his older brother to follow him. Teddy was fixing up three big glasses with lots of ice and placed them on the table where Merle and Daryl had sat down.

"So you're the new town doc, yeah? Heard bein' with ma brother and yer daddy acceptin' him into the fold got you folks in a lotta trouble?"

"I'm not that new anymore and most of the people in this town are just bigoted assholes. If they think my dating choices reflect my abilities as a physician, then so be it. Have fun waiting at the clinic for 6 hours and good riddance. We're doing fine without them." Teddy shrugged, hating that Merle had brought that up, because she knew it made Daryl feel shitty.

"Yeah, yer folks got 'nuff money anyway. Don't really need ta work, now do they?" Merle asked conversationally. "They still live in that big ass house down Burton Street?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Just makin' conversation, sister. So Billy's yer twin or something?"

"He is, has been for 29 years now."

"So if yer parents are loaded and yer a doc, how come he's working as just a lowly mechanic, like ma brother. Ain't no money in that."

"It's what he likes to do, simple as that. Why? Just because your parents got money you have to become a lawyer or something like that?" Teddy tried not to sound too defensive and thought that so far she was succeeding in keeping it light, but something about Merle just rubbed her the wrong way. She wasn't convinced that all of a sudden he wanted to play nice and act like they were family now.

"Well, you're a doctor..."

"Yeah, but not because my parents have money. It's something I've always wanted to do, just like Billy always loved working on cars and bikes."

"So how long ya been datin' ma brother now?"

"Gosh, how long's it been, honey?" She looked at Daryl questioningly.

"Met 'bout six months ago. That party in the woods was four months ago. Guess that's like the official day we got together." Daryl shrugged, feeling a bit uncomfortable talking about it in front of his brother.

"I'll say." Teddy grinned when she remembered exactly how they'd gotten together that night.

Merle looked back and forth between them and suddenly started hooting. "No way! Ya fucked her in the woods on the first date, lil bro? Damn, didn't think ya had it in you! Always act all shy and shit. I knew there was at least a lil bit of Dixon in ya."

"I don't know about him having a bit of Dixon inside of him, but one thing is for damn sure: he is all man, through and through." Teddy winked at her blushing boyfriend. Daryl didn't really appreciate it in that moment, he didn't want Teddy to give Merle any ammo.

"Aww shit, ya make me so proud, boy." Merle grinned and ruffled Daryl's hair, making Daryl jerk his head away from him. "So four months and already livin' together. Havin' a dog together,... that's almost like havin' a kid. Guess I won't have ta be surprised if I get a wedding invitation in the mail soon, huh? And after that it won't be long til there's the pitter patter of little feet running round this place. With that speed you two are goin' at, I'm surprised that ya ain't working on that yet. Or are ya?"

"Don't think that's really any of your business, now is it?" Teddy's voice had an edge to it now, it was a touchy subject after all and Daryl was getting this weird look in his eyes again. A cross between sad and hopeful. He didn't really expect her to have made up her mind already, did he?

"Uuuuh sounds like I hit a nerve. What's the matter? My baby bro not wantin' any offspring? Yeah, our daddy wasn't the best role model, but ya know what? At least that taught us how to raise kids the right way." Merle kept talking about it, he enjoyed pushing people's buttons too much to stop now, but Teddy wouldn't have it. She still had a bad feeling about him and this whole fake friendly visit.

"Say Merle, would you like to stay for dinner? I make a mean meatloaf." Teddy plastered her own fake smile onto her face. Daryl's eyes widened, still vividly remembering the vile taste of her meatloaf. Mean indeed, but now he understood what she was doing. Merle seemed to feed them some kind of bullshit right now and it was only fair to return the favor.

"I ain't fool enough to say no to a home-cooked meal, princess. Haven't had one in ages. She a good cook?" He looked at Daryl questioningly.

"She's unbelievable." Daryl assured him and he wasn't even lying. She was unbelievably bad at cooking.

"Ahhh, yeah, I see why ya fell for her then. Easy on the eyes and a great cook? The best way to a man's heart is through his stomach." Merle grinned while he patted his belly. Teddy and Daryl shared a look and had a hard time not bursting out into laughter. Teddy had definitely NOT taken the route through Daryl's stomach. She had sneaked in way before she had cooked for him, he'd realized some time ago. She must have sneaked in through that wound in his shoulder and then she had stitched it up tight, no way for him to ever get rid of her again. Not that he'd even want to.

Teddy got everything out of the fridge. Daryl had wanted to make meatloaf that night anyway, so they had all the ingredients. She had been looking forward to it, but to get back at Merle was even better. They'd just order in after he'd left. Merle kept asking her question after question while he cooked, mostly about her parents, which struck her as odd, but she answered anyway, not elaborating very much, just giving the information he was asking for.

"It true that they got a maid?"

"Yeah." Teddy frowned. Why was he even interested in that?

"But they ain't got stuff like bodyguards or security or shit like that?"

"They are not the president ant the first lady, so no. Why are you so interested in the way my parents live?"

"Jus' making conversation. I'm curious by nature. Yer daddy said at the funeral I might get invited some day,... just wanna know what I'd be walking into." Merle explained smilingly.

"Right. Anyway, dinner is just about ready. More tea, Merle?"

"Sure princess, fill 'er up." He held his glass up for her and she refilled it before she served them dinner. Daryl and Teddy pressed their lips together, trying to keep their smirks in as Merle cut into his slice of meat loaf and greedily shoved some of it into his mouth. Teddy couldn't hold back anymore when his face scrunched up into a mask of disgust and he started coughing and gagging.

"SHIT! What the hell... Christ the Lord." he grabbed his glass and quickly downed the whole contents. "What did ya do? There's a rotten fish in there. Or a pile of dog shit. Or both."

"I'm sorry, Merle. Did I forget to mention that she's unbelievably bad at cookin'? Must'a slipped ma mind." Daryl grinned happily while he watched his brother shudder.

"Fuckin' hell. What ya do that for?" Merle sputtered, grabbing the pitcher of tea and refilling his glass once more.

"Well Merle, you feed us a pile of dog crap, we feed you a pile of dog crap." Teddy said, making Merle freeze.

"And what's that supposed ta mean?"

"Do you really think we are stupid enough to fall for your act? How you are suddenly all happy about us being together and all of us being a big happy family? What do you want? Money? Sorry, we don't have any. My parents may be rich, but I'm not and you won't get their money through me." Teddy told him coolly.

"That's what ya think, yeah? You don't know me."

"But I do." Daryl cut in. "And this whole visit smells rotten ta me, too."

"Yer both crazy. Tryin' ta do the right thing, that's what I get. I'm outta here." Merle griped while he got up and threw his napkin on the table.

"Don't let the door hit you in the ass on your way out." Teddy sighed and got up to clear the table. Daryl made sure that Merle had really left and checked that the door was closed all the way before he came back into the kitchen to help her.

"Maybe he did mean it. He's just not good with things like this." Daryl started to wonder out loud after a couple of minutes.

"Oh babe, you really are too good for this world." Teddy smiled and kissed him lovingly. "Chinese, Italian, Greek? What's it gonna be?" she asked while she handed him the menus from the take-out places. Neither of them was crazy enough to eat that meatloaf themselves.

Merle on the other hand was fuming while he stomped down the sidewalk towards the bar. This plan had failed epically. Unfortunately Teddy was more than just a pretty face and she was smarter and a lot less naïve than he'd thought. She wasn't fooled by a couple of friendly smiles and interest in her life. Merle would have to put a lot more effort into his act and fast or he'd be in deep shit.

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**AN: Thank you everybody for reading and supporting me and this story by clicking Follow/Favorite aaaand by leaving a review. You have no idea how lovely it is to read them. I hope you are happy with this chapter, I enjoyed it quite a bit.**

**So Merle might have ulterior motives here. Are we surprised? Probably not? Can he still change? I'm sure he can, but does he want to?**

**I am sorry for my lack of PM's this week. I've been having a bit of trouble with this site again. Also my son is STILL teething, he just doesn't stop. Tooth Number 13 and 14 are coming these days. Oh the horror.**

**Thank you so much to you wonderful reviewers. I appreciate you so so much, I love hearing from you, and some of you have given me great ideas for this story, so please don't ever stop.**

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**DarylDixon'sLover**

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**Nemu-Chan**


	21. Chapter 21

**This one's a bit rocky again, but as usual, trust me and have faith;-) Haven't let you down yet, right? Well, except for the ones who unfollowed lately, but I hope the rest of you will know things will be alright in the long run:) Enjoy.**

**I am using a couple of lines from the show in this one, so time to say that nothing is mine except for the Robertsons.**

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Two days later it was Monday and Daryl was happy to be able to return to work and have things go back to normal. Teddy was relieved as well to get their everyday normalcy back and have that Sandra-girl out of their lives.

On her lunch break she drove into town to get a bite to eat, but she got distracted when she saw Merle walking into the bakery. Making a quick decision she pulled into the empty parking spot right in front of it. She got out and leaned against the passenger side door and waited for Merle to come back out, which he did about 3 minutes later with a big paper cup full of coffee in his right, bandaged-up, hand.

"Hey Merle."

"Well look at that. Come to apologize for tryin' ta poison me?" Merle snarled at her with a dark look on his face.

"Your brother ate two whole slices of that thing and lived to tell the tale, so man up and quit bitching."

"That don't quite sound like an apology ta me, princess." Merle growled while he stepped closer.

"That's probably because it isn't." she shrugged nonchalantly.

"Ya know what, girlie? You are damn lucky that I ain't none of them damn woman beaters or you'd be in big fucking trouble. Ya don't wanna mess with ol' Merle." he told her while he took another step towards her, getting up in her personal space.

"You don't scare me, Merle. And just so you know, if something goes missing in my parents' house or the practice or should anything happen to them, you can be damn sure that the cops will haul you in for questioning first and that they will drag your ass right back to jail."

Merle's posture changed and he took a step back, his shoulders slumping with the sigh that left his body. "Damn, girlie. Knew you were smart, but I didn't think you'd figure me out that quickly."

"You weren't very subtle, Merle. You might have Daryl fooled, because he still wants to believe in the good in you, but it was blatantly obvious that you didn't come to us out of the sheer niceness of your heart." Teddy explained while she watched him scratch his head and shifting his weight nervously. Her gaze wandered to the dirty, blood-stained bandage on his hand. "What happened there?"

He followed her gaze to see what she meant and shrugged, "Bar fight."

"Come with me." she pushed herself off of her car and walked to the driver's side. "Get in. Come on, I don't have all day."

Merle still hesitated and looked at her questioningly. Teddy sighed deeply when she noticed he was still standing there unmoving.

"Look, no matter what, Daryl loves you. Despite everything, he loved your father and he just lost him. I'm not gonna make him lose you too by letting you get a goddamn infection, alright? So get in the car, Merle."

Merle finally moved and got in the car. If she was gonna check his wound, he might get some prescription painkillers out of her, that was his main motivation to go with her.

Teddy drove them back to the empty practice and led him into her office.

"Take a seat over there." she told him, motioning towards the exam table while she went to wash her hands. "And take of that bandage, please."

Merle did as he was told and when he was done Teddy came over to take a look at his palm. Her eyes widened when she saw the dark red flesh and the crooked zig-zaggy line of black thread that was holding the two skin flaps together.

"Holy shit, did you stitch this up yourself?"

"Yeah, done it a thousand times. Never been a problem." Merle waved her off and winced when she carefully felt around the wound with her fingers.

"This time it is a problem, because it's infected. Good thing I ran into you today and caught this early on. Alright, I'm gonna numb this and then I'll take those stitches out, clean the wound and stitch it up right. You'll get antibiotics for treating the infection and in about two weeks you come over and I'll take these things out." Teddy said and had kind of a deja-vu. She had been in this situation before, just that it had been Daryl and the cut had been on his shoulder. Merle just nodded and got comfortable while Teddy prepared everything. He would never admit it, but he was glad that it would get taken care of. With his probation officer watching him constantly it would have been hard to score some pills out on the street.

"So I assume this is a pro-bono thing? 'Cause I ain't got no money ta pay ya, sugar."

"Of course it is." Teddy murmured while she went to work. "So tell me, what's going on? You need money?"

"Yeah. Owe some people." Merle didn't see the sense in beating around the bush. She had figured it out anyway.

"How much?"

"Ten grand."

"Jesus fucking Christ, Merle! You've been out two weeks, how did you get into so much trouble already?"

"I didn't. I'm tryin' actually ta get things in order. Don't wanna go back to the big house. This is a debt from before I went in. People found out I got released, now they want their money. Ain't got the money, so I gotta find a way ta get it and that don't help in leadin' a trouble-free life, if ya know what I mean." Merle told her, his voice sounding weary, a little defeated even, and for once Teddy believed him.

"Robbing my parents isn't the solution, Merle. You'll just get in more trouble and you'll definitely end back up in jail. Did you find a job yet?"

"Nope. People in this town ain't exactly jumpin' at the chance ta hire me."

"Maybe you gotta start looking outside of Jasper."

"And take the bus to work and back home everyday? Nah, thanks."

"You can't have it all, Merle. Nobody can. So those people you owe the money to, I figure they aren't your nice little bookies from next door?"

"Not exactly."

"Okay, this might sound like a stupid question to you, but humor me. Is there any way to pay them back in increments? Like a payment plan?"

"You're funny, princess." Merle scoffed and shook his head with a humorless smile. "But it don't work like that."

Teddy nodded and kept working in silence for a while. When she finished tying the last knot she looked back up at him. "You really trying to turn over a new leaf?"

"Yeah. Kinda have to. Don't want to go back ta jail. And Daryl was kinda right. Your daddy was right. Thought about it long and hard. They ain't the ones alienating me. I'm doin' that jus' fine all by myself."

"But why? Why do you keep picking on Daryl so hard for wanting and now actually having a family? You can be part of that family, too, you know?"

"I know, I know. What I don't know is, why I keep doin' it. Jus' don't know. It's a damn mystery, even ta me. Guess I simply don't know how ta be part of a family. Daryl's always been different. Don't know how he was able to keep that part of him alive."

"He's sensitive. Underneath that tough redneck exterior he is very sensitive and emotional. He was able to hold on to his dreams all these years. Maybe that's what helped him through everything and what helped him get his act together four years ago, when he stopped just drifting around with you."

"He told you about that, huh? Almost got killed that one time, after that he turned things around."

"I know. Why didn't you?"

"Jus' didn't."

"But you're ready now?"

"I guess,... even if I ain't, don't really got no choice in the matter."

Teddy nodded and put a fresh bandage on Merle's hand. "I might be able to help you."

Merle's eyes snapped up to her face and he looked at her in disbelief. "You gon' give me the money?"

"Maybe. I might be able to come up with it, gotta talk to someone else first."

"Pffff, who? Yer daddy?" he spat with a shake of his head, making Teddy cock her eyebrow.

"Really, Merle? You wanna bite the hand that offers you food? Guess I was right, it is a bad idea."

"No, no, no, princess, come on. Just joking around. Now tell me, why would ya help me out?"

"Because everyone deserves a chance. If Daryl still believes in you, then I'll give you a chance and believe in you, too. Also, I think you know by now, that you better not try to pull a fast one on me. If I help you and you fuck me over, I will fuck you over and have your ass send back to jail without thinking about it twice."

"Sounds fair." Merle said after thinking about it for a moment. "How would this go down?"

"I might have a job for you. Or more precisely, I know someone who might have a job for you. If he is willing to give you the job, I will come up with the money for you and you will pay me back, a little bit every month until your debt is paid off."

"What kind of job?"

"Farm hand. Ever done farm work before?"

"Yeah. I used to help out around farms 'round here when I was younger. Wouldn't be the worst job, I guess. Always paid well."

"It's hard work. You won't get paid for sitting on your ass."

"Might take some getting' used to again, but guess I could do it. Ain't a delicate little flower." Merle grinned, making Teddy laugh a little.

"No, you certainly are not."

"Why you helpin' me? Yesterday ya tried ta poison me and today ya wanna gimme ten grand?" Merle was a little wary about her motives in all of this.

"I love your brother, Merle. More than anything in the world. He deserves all the good things on this planet and I wanna help him make his dreams come true. I wanna give him everything he wants and make him happy. What Daryl wants most in life is a family. And he loves you and wants you to be part of that family. He wants you to be able to be there for family dinner and share stupid stories over a glass of whiskey after you've eaten, but it can't happen if this shit gets in the way. It can't happen if you actually break into my parents' home and steal their shit. I would do anything for Daryl and I am willing to help you in order to get you to better yourself and become a part of the family. But you have to work for it. You have to show some respect and don't piss on every hand that reaches out, tries to make a connection or help you. And most importantly: No fucking lies."

"Hm, I might'a been wrong 'bout you princess. Ain't such a bitch after all."

"Oh, I am. If Daryl's happiness is at stake, I will be the biggest bitch on the planet. You can bet your ass on that." Teddy smiled and gave him some antibiotics to last him a week. "Now give me your number so I can call you about that job and everything else. Daryl doesn't have to know about this for now, okay?"

"Sure thing, sugar." Merle nodded and took her phone from her and punched his number into her contacts.

"Alright. Take those pills for a week. If it gets worse, come in and see me, alright? Don't need to lose your hand. You're gonna need it on the farm."

"A'ight. I'll be expecting yer call then." Merle grabbed his coffee and pills and strolled towards the door with his usual swagger, but he stopped before he went through. "Thank for patchin' me up, bitch." he grinned.

"You're welcome, dick face." she replied with a sickly sweet smile. They shared a little laugh before Merle left the office and Teddy cleaned up. Maybe all hope wasn't lost for Merle, she thought. It might be a big mistake to help him, but she would make sure to have some insurance, so if he was trying to rip her off, she would be able to let him suffer some consequences.

######## ######## ####### ####### ######## #######

As soon as Gerald came back in from his lunch break, Teddy had followed him into his office and had told him about her encounter with Merle and about what she was planning on doing.

"Maggie said that they desperately need help on the farm and that Hershel's been looking for a farm hand. I think we should let Hershel and Merle meet and see if he would hire him. If he does, we give Merle the money he needs and he pays us back every month, as much as he can afford. If he acts up, Hershel can fire him, Merle violates his probation and goes back to jail, as easy as that." Teddy explained her plan to her father, who was listening with widened eyes.

"And in that case we lose up to ten thousand dollars..."

"I know, that is kind of the big risk factor of that whole plan." Teddy acknowledged the kink in her plan.

"I don't know, Teddy. I'm all for helping him out IF he is being genuine, but what if he isn't? It's a lot of money to just hand out to someone who has a history of being unstable and unreliable."

"I know, but what other way is there to help him? It's not like he can pay those loan sharks back in monthly payments. And I don't think he'll get a lot of work done with smashed knee caps."

"Teddy, you watch too much television." Gerald shook his head laughingly.

"Maybe, but I also got a bit of mom's crazy in me."

"Obviously. You wanna give Merle Dixon ten thousand dollars." Gerald deadpanned. "Maybe I should have you tested."

"Might not be a bad idea. No, but seriously, Dad. What are we gonna do? Do you have a better idea? He seemed genuine this time. He does not want to go back to jail, I believe him."

"Alright, let's talk to Maggie and Hershel. But you are not gonna give him the money out of your own account. If you do that all your savings are gone. If we lose the money it will hurt your mother and I way less than it would hurt your finances. Your mother sold some of her artwork lately as you know, so we have it to spare. We were gonna give it to charity anyway, this will just be another kind of charity. But we will have our lawyer draw up some kind of agreement for him to sign. If he really means to turn his life around, it shouldn't be a big deal for him to give us some reassurance."

"Sounds like a good plan. You're the best, Dad." Teddy smiled and leaned over the desk and kissed his cheek. Their plan was fleshed out, now it was back to work for both of them, before they could talk to the Greenes.

####### ####### ####### ####### ###### #######

Teddy and Billy left for Seattle two days later, so it was Gerald who drove Merle out to Hershel's farm, which was located on the outskirts of Ellijay, a thirty minute drive from Jasper.

Gerald was surprised that Merle was calm and civil during the drive. They didn't talk about the money, but they talked about sports, Merle's experience in the military and things that were on the news these days. What didn't surprise Gerald was, that Merle was smart as a whip, just like Daryl. He actually had some pretty good insight on things. It was a shame, if those two boys would have had another kind of upbringing, who knew what kinds of great things they would have achieved by now.

Merle was doing a very good job at covering up how anxious he was. He really needed the money and he really needed that job as well. His P.O. had been on his ass about the whole job thing. If he wouldn't find a job soon, he would be in violation of his parole conditions and would have to go back to jail.

"Almost there." Gerald said while he turned the car left onto a gravel-covered road which served as a very long driveway up to Hershel Greene's farmhouse. Merle took everything in with sharp eyes.

"Nice little set-up they have here." he muttered.

"It's beautiful out here. Maybe one day my wife and I will settle down in an environment like this. She always wanted to live on a farm. Of course when she says that she has something like straight out of that tv show 'Dallas' in mind and not this." Gerald laughed and Merle shook his head with a grin.

"That's women for ya." he had to admit, that Gerald seemed to be alright. No wonder that his little brother had clung on to that family this quickly. Seemed like this whole judging-people-thing went both ways. They had judged him and his family and he and his family had judged them, thinking of them as rich pricks, that think they are better than everybody else. That they were willing to stick their necks out for him, had him impressed.

Gerald parked in front of the house, while the porch filled up with people that were coming out of the house. Merle got out of the car and walked towards them unafraid. He wasn't shy like his brother, he didn't have a problem with being the new guy.

"Ya gotta be Hershel, the farmer." He said loudly while he walked straight up to the eldest Greene, before Gerald was able to make formal introductions.

"And you must be the black sheep, Merle." Hershel countered with a smirk, the expression mostly hidden by his big white beard. Hershel had dealt with all kinds of people during his life and he knew just how to take men like Merle. You gotta take them the way they are without pulling the strict-card right away. Merle scoffed lightly and shook hands with the older man, while Gerald greeted Maggie with a hug and nodded a hello to Beth and Shawn.

"Gerald, if you would be so kind and take a look at Maggie? She hasn't been feeling very well today. I will take Merle to my office, so we can have a little chat." Hershel said, putting his hand on Merle's shoulder and leading him inside the house.

"No problem. I'll get my bag out of the car, head on inside sweetheart, I'll meet you there." Gerald told Maggie smilingly and went back to the car, while Hershel and Merle disappeared into the vet's office.

"I take it you got released from prison a short while ago?"

"Two weeks ago, yeah. Got released early, was a model prisoner." Merle wore his trademark grin.

"But you haven't been a model citizen until now." Hershel countered, making the grin on Merle's face falter.

"Guess not." he admitted sheepishly.

"Found this in the attic a while ago." Hershel said while he held up a bible. "Lost more than the Good Book there for a while. Lost my way." He told Merle and took a long look at the man's bandaged right hand, before going on. "And if your right hand offends you, cut it off and cast it from you. For it is profitable that one of your members should perish,-"

"Than that that thy whole body should be cast into hell. Matthew 5:29 and 30." Merle finished with a wry smile. If Hershel was surprised, he didn't let it on. "They had a damn fine library in that prison. Only thing I miss about it."

Hershel chuckled at that, finding it funny that the prison library appealed more to Merle than the library in Jasper.

"Don't know if I lost ma way." Merle kept going. "Can't lose something ya never found."

"Maybe we can help you with that. Maybe getting out of your old environment will be a step in the right direction. There's a lot of work to be done here, not many distractions. I can put you to good use here. You have experience, you are strong, know your way around a farm. You saw the little cabin out there by the wheat field when you drove up with Gerald?"

"Yes Sir."

"That would be yours for as long as you work for me. You are welcome to have all meals with us here, but of course if you prefer to cook for yourself, the cabin has a fully functioning little kitchen. I pay well, 20 dollars per hour and I provide health insurance. Not the best, admittedly, but it should cover anything that happens here on the farm pretty well. I've had good experiences with them in the past. You get paid every Friday. You might have to work on the weekends a couple of times, but I will ensure that your evenings are free so you can spend them however you see fit. No drugs on this farm, but I understand you would get in trouble for that anyway, wouldn't you?"

"Yes Sir. I am required to stay sober and take meetings."

"You will certainly get time off for those meetings, I will make sure of that. Having been there myself, I know how important they are. I think the two of us will get along fine. I think there is some mutual respect here, right off the bat. I think this might work out. If you want it, the job is yours." Hershel offered.

"I want it."

"Good, let's shake on it." Hershel held his hand out and while they shook he kept talking. "Now let's go out there and introduce you to the rest of the family and we'll show you around."

Merle was relieved, he finally had a job and one he could actually live with. It was good and honest work and maybe Hershel was right, maybe he would find a better way to live here, a good 30 miles away from his home town. He would only return to Jasper to see Daryl every now and then or his brother could visit, whatever would work out best.

"How do you need the money, son? Cash?" Gerald asked when they were on their way back to Jasper, after having stayed for dinner on the farm.

"Yeah. You just gon' give it ta me? Jus' like that?"

"Of course not, but I guess you already figured that out. Teddy believes in you Merle, she was willing to give all of her savings for you and you better not let her down. It's a lot of money to just hand out, so we had our lawyer draw up an agreement, kind of like a contract of sorts."

"Right. I pay ya back or I go back to the big house."

"Exactly. You have to sign that you will do anything to keep your employment with Hershel and pay us back in monthly increments or you will turn yourself in for fraud."

"Right, I figured you'd do something like that. But if I go back to jail, you lose that money for sure. If I stay out of jail, I can still find ways to pay you back." Merle argued.

"That might be true, but I'd rather lose that money, than have you go back to your old ways, Merle. You need to stay out of trouble, not just for you, but for your brother, too. You know Billy and Maggie are getting married in a couple of weeks, they have a baby on the way."

"Yeah, so?"

"So, in a couple of years that could be Teddy and Daryl. They might get married, they might have kids, start a family. Wouldn't you want to be a part of that? Be a part of your nephew's or niece's life? I'm sure Daryl wants you to. Therefore you need to better yourself and lead an honest life."

"It's really all about Daryl, ain't it?" Merle said, a hint of bitterness in his voice.

"Daryl's become like a son to me, Merle. I'll go a long way to make sure he is protected from bad things. Things like you dying out on the street because a drug deal went bad or something like that. I don't know you, yet. At least not a lot of you, but I can tell that you actually have a good head on your shoulders, just like your brother. You just need some help in getting it screwed back on right. And we will help you with that and if in order for that to happen you need ten thousand dollars, then you need ten thousand dollars. Now the question is: Will you sign that piece of paper?"

Merle took a moment, the whole agreement thing didn't sit well with him, but of course he'd already guessed that the Robertson's would do something like that. He wasn't surprised, but still, it was a big commitment and he had never been good with those. He had people counting on him now and it made him real nervous. But he didn't have any choice, he would have to sign it in order to move on with his life.

"Yeah. I'll sign it." he finally agreed.

"Good. Get everything settled with your P.O. and then come see me in my office after. Tomorrow okay for you?"

"Yeah, I'm free." Merle nodded, before he scooted lower in his seat and looked out the window, silently processing everything that would be happening from now on.

####### ####### ####### ######## ####### ########

Daryl was relieved when the phone rang, right when he came back from work Thursday afternoon. Teddy had left the previous day with Billy and had only sent him a quick text at night to say that they had landed okay. He was worried about her, that whole trip was bound to make her sad and he kind of regretted not having gone with her to be there for her.

"Hey girl." he greeted her, waiting anxiously to hear her voice so he could gauge in what kind of mood she was.

"Hey, baby." he could hear her smile, but her voice wasn't as bubbly as it usually was.

"How are things?" he asked while he busied himself by fixing himself a coffee.

"Gosh, don't ask. I should have come alone. It was a mistake to take Billy." he heard her sigh deeply and he could just picture her raking her hand through her hair in frustration.

"Why?"

"He had a little melt down. I should have thought of that. He's gonna be a father soon, Daryl,... standing at Milo's grave, he just freaked out. He's scared as hell that it's gonna happen to his child now."

"What did you say to him when he freaked?" Daryl asked curiously, settling himself on the couch with his coffee.

"I told him that he can't think like that. That it's rare for kids these days to die just like that. That he shouldn't focus on being afraid..."

"Mhm..." Daryl grunted. "Little hypocritical, don't cha think?"

"Daryl..."

"You don't believe that yerself, so why lie to your brother?"

"Stop. What was I supposed to say? Yes, Billy, be afraid, be very very afraid? Don't be like that Daryl, we can't have the same talk over and over again. I told you I'd think about it. I didn't call to fight."

"Sorry, you're right. How are you feelin'? Doin' okay?"

"Yeah. Little sad, but that's to be expected."

"Sure is." Daryl agreed and took a sip of his coffee. "Miss me?" he grinned slightly, deciding to lighten up the mood a little.

"As much as it rains over here." she giggled, repeating what she had told him for the first time months ago.

"Good. Miss ya, too. Hate it when yer gone."

"Me, too. Oh hey, before I forget. My mom will be over in a few. Rosario made apple pie and my mom told her to make an extra one for you, because you like it so much, so she's bringing it over so you can have some for dessert after dinner."

"I'd rather have you for dessert, but I guess pie will do." he rasped into the phone, making his voice low on purpose, knowing it made her hot.

"You couldn't have me for dessert even if I'd be there." Teddy reminded him with a laugh, covering up that he had her whole nether regions quivering.

"Still on yer damn rag? Fuck, still gon' be on it when ya get back?"

"Since I'm already gonna come back tomorrow, yes. No funny business for another couple of days."

"When ya coming back exactly?"

"I'll be going straight to work from the airport. Gotta help Daddy out, he's worked himself ragged in the past couple of weeks. I'll probably be in the office around eleven, take a couple of patients before lunch and I'll be home at my usual time at night."

"Good." his head whipped around when he heard a knock on the door. "Yer momma's here. Talk ta ya later?"

"Yeah, I'll call again before you go to bed. Love you, baby."

"Same." he smiled before he hung up and opened the door. "Hey."

"Hello, sweetheart. I'm bringing you some pie. Did Teddy tell you?"

"Yeah, just got off the phone with her."

"Oh, good. I am so glad I did not go with them. I would have had a heart attack with all those plane troubles they had." Bernadette launched into her usual chatter and greeted Roxy, while Daryl gaped at her and almost dropped the phone that was still in his hand.

"Plane troubles? What the fuck? Teddy didn't say anything about that!" Daryl's blood pressure started rising as anger and worry bubbled up inside of him.

"Really? I'm surprised. They had quite a bit of turbulence. One of those motor thingies didn't work and they had to land in Omaha and board another plane. Oh she probably didn't want to worry you, you know how Teddy is. Did you have dinner already? No, it's still early. What are you gonna have? Rosario is making a brisket for us tonight, uuuhhh Roxy, I'm sure there will be some yummy leftovers for you, my sweet girl." Bernadette kept talking and talking, not noticing how tense Daryl had become. He was gritting his teeth and clenching his wrists, not knowing whether he should strangle his girl or drive over there and crush her to his chest and never let her go again, at least not until they were safely back in Jasper.

"Are you alright? Oh honey, don't worry. Those things happen. They are fine. Now what did you say you were gonna have for dinner?"

"Uhm, throwing a steak in the skillet." Daryl replied absently.

"That sounds great, but you know, you could still have dinner with us." Bernadette offered.

"Nah, I'm pretty beat. I'll just eat and prolly go to bed right after. But thanks." he declined politely, not wanting her to think he didn't want to spend time with them.

"You look tired. It's the heat, isn't it? It's bad right now. Gerald and I are tired too at the end of the night. Oh well, honey, I won't keep you then. Just wanted to bring you the pie." she rubbed his bare arm, something Daryl was used to by now, and smiled. "Have a nice night, sweetheart. I'll see you soon."

"Yeah, you too." he walked her to the door and was about to open it for her, when he remembered something. "Wait, I wanted ta ask ya something. Don't get to see ya alone a lot, without Teddy I mean."

"What is it, dear?"

"I know it's still two months away, but I been wracking ma brain for a while now and can't come up with anythin'..."

"Oh you mean her birthday?"

"Yeah. I keep payin' attention, but she never really says anythin' bout wantin' something special, so I just don't know..."

Bernadette smiled and fought off the urge to hug him. He was just adorable and such a good boyfriend. "Daryl, don't you worry about getting her anything. The only thing Teddy wants is for you to love her. All she wants is you and your love and it looks like she's already got that in spades. Doesn't she?"

Daryl blushed and looked up at her from under his too long bangs while he nodded. "Yeah."

"See? You're already giving her what she wants, don't worry about a big present. Pastries for breakfast in bed, maybe, she always loved that when she was younger. Of course there's still another way to give yourself to her as a present, right?" Bernadette winked and giggled at her own version of a dirty joke, while Daryl blushed even more.

"Guess I'll come up with something." Daryl stammered. Bernadette laughed and kissed one of his hot cheeks before she told him goodbye and left. Daryl had hoped for some more insight on what he could give Teddy, but now he was still standing at square one, just more embarrassed than before.

######## ####### ###### ####### ######## ######## ########

Daryl gave Teddy hell on the phone for not telling him about the plane trouble and it took almost an hour for her to talk him out of driving to Seattle and pick her up himself. She wanted to strangle her mother for blabbing to Daryl. She had told her not to tell him, but obviously she had chosen to overhear that part. She promised him to text him the minute she was able to, as soon as she had landed safely.

The next day around 10 am Daryl kept checking his phone every two minutes, even though he had it on vibrate and would feel as soon as a text would be sent to his phone. At 10.28 am he finally got what he'd been waiting for.

"I'm back and on my way to work. See you tonight."

But Daryl couldn't wait until tonight. He decided to surprise her on her lunch break. They were off for lunch at the same time, so it would work out nicely. He picked up two subs from the sandwich place and drove over there with Roxy to save some time.

Teddy literally jumped him when he came into her office with Roxy in tow. Daryl caught her with ease, gripping the backs of her thighs while she wrapped her long legs around him and her arms around his neck. They didn't even notice Roxy bouncing around them in a circle, happy to see Teddy, as well, while their mouths met and melted into a deep, passionate kiss.

"Ya gotta promise me ta not leave town without me for at least a year." Daryl panted against her lips when they parted to draw some air into their lungs.

"Promise. Won't leave without you. Never again. It sucks to be apart." Teddy agreed, before they started kissing again for a couple of minutes.

"Hungry?" Daryl asked after letting Teddy down again.

"I'm starving. What did you get?" she asked when she noticed his empty hands.

Daryl looked around in confusion, clearly remembering bringing the bag inside with him. His eyes landed on Roxy who was laying next to the desk, the shredded plastic bag and the paper the sandwiches had been wrapped in surrounding her, while she chewed on Daryl's and Teddy's lunch. Daryl had dropped the bag and forgotten all about it while he and Teddy had kissed. Now their lunch was gone.

"Guess I can't really fault her for that, right?" he asked while he scratched his head.

"Not really. Probably thought it was for her when it dropped to the floor. Oh well..."

"Want me to get something else?" he asked, but she shook her head and walked over to her desk.

"No, I have some power bars in my drawer. That will have to suffice. Here, take two, you need it more than me." She smiled while she handed them to him.

"Still got enough for yourself?"

"Yes, I do. Go ahead and eat them." she told him while she unwrapped hers. Daryl first cleaned up the mess Roxy had made and threw it in the trash can before he sat down and unwrapped one of the bars Teddy had given him.

"Had a good flight? No trouble this time?"

"All good. Honey? There's something we should talk about." she said a little hesitantly, making Daryl freeze.

"Like what?"

"It's about Merle."

"Merle?" That made him frown. Why the hell would she wanna talk about him now? "What about him?"

"You know how it was weird that he was asking all these questions about my parents?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Well, I had a theory and on Monday on my break, I ran into him by accident and I asked him about it and he confirmed that I had been right."

"Right about what?"

"He needs money and he wanted to break into my parents' house to steal their shit and sell it." Teddy told him and felt bad when she saw his eyes widen in shock. Obviously Daryl had not thought about that.

"Are you fucking serious? Nah come on, Teddy-"

"He told me, Daryl. It's true. He owes people money. From before he went to prison. They heard about him being released early and apparently paid him a visit."

"Shit. Why didn't he tell me? I could have helped him. I always helped him out. Why would he plan that shit?"

"Honey, because you can't help him out with this,... but I can."

"No." Daryl stated firmly.

"Yes. It's already taken care of."

"What the fuck? You gave him money? You did this behind ma back?" Daryl's voice rose in volume. He didn't want to believe that she would do that and keep it from him. She had told him not to help Merle out anymore and then she did that.

"Hear me out before you keep on yelling. Please. I talked to him a while. He had a wound that needed sutures and while I stitched him up we talked. He needs to turn his life around, that's part of his parole, but he also wants to do it this time. Unfortunately the past came back to bite him in the ass, forcing him into doing illegal shit again. He needed that money to get those people off his back, before he could start over. You know, now with Maggie pregnant, Hershel needs even more help on the farm. My dad got Hershel and Merle together on Wednesday and he hired him as a farmhand. Him getting a steady job was the condition for us giving him the money. He will live out there on the farm in his own little cabin and he will pay us back the money we gave him. He signed an official agreement. If he fucks up, he goes back to jail. "

Daryl didn't know what to say. His mind was completely blown. He didn't know if he should be angry or happy, he was just speechless.

"I know what I said, about not helping him out, I know what this must look like to you and I'm sorry I didn't say anything sooner. I just wanted to wait and see if the whole job thing would work out. He got a million chances from you over the years, he fucked it up, but you still believe in him, that he can be good. I saw a glimpse of it on Monday. My dad saw a glimpse of it on Wednesday. We're gonna give him one chance and one chance only. We gave him the chance to get rid of those things that hindered him in starting over. Now he's got a clean slate and he can prove that he means it when he says he wants to be better."

"I don't fucking get it. Whaddaya want me ta say here? Thanks?"

"No, of course not. You don't have to say anything. It's all said and done anyway. Merle is paying his debt today and he is moving out to the farm on the weekend." Teddy told him and watched him with a sinking feeling in her stomach when he scoffed and shook his head in disbelief.

"How much?"

"That's not important."

"How fucking much, Theodora?" he growled in a dangerously low voice, that barely sounded human anymore. Teddy's eyes widened and she swallowed hard. Never before had he used her whole name, which made her realize that he was steaming mad at her.

"Ten thousand dol-" she didn't even get to finish. Daryl got up and punched the wall hard in anger before storming right out of her office.

"DARYL!" she yelled after him, but he was already out the front door and sprinting to his truck, phone in hand.

"Where are you?" he barked into the phone as soon as Merle had picked up.

"At Jason's. Why?"

"I'm coming over." he told him and hung up, stepping harder on the gas pedal than he should. It wasn't even that he was mad at Teddy for hiding this from him for days and he was mad at Merle for even letting her do this, for using her like that. He knew Merle was a charmer if he wanted to be, Teddy maybe just lost her head for a moment, but he would be damned if he would let his brother fuck her over.

Merle didn't stand a chance. As soon as he had opened the door, the freight train called Daryl had him pushed up against the wall, his forearm pressed firmly against Merle's throat.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing taking her money?" he growled and pressed against Merle's throat a little harder.

"Had ta do it." Merle wheezed. "Was too good ta pass up. Look, she gets it back. I signed some shit. It's on the table. Take a look."

Daryl released him and tore the piece up paper from the table and skimmed it.

"It's her daddy's money, anyway." Merle coughed and rubbed his throat. "I got a job. They're getting it back, baby bro. No need to go Rambo on me."

"And I'm s'pposed ta believe that? After all ya put me through? Nah, you jus' took her money so you can take it and run, because ya know damn well, that she's gonna kick ma ass back out on the street for that. She'll end up hating me, because I somehow made her believe she could help you. That's what ya want, ain't it? That I come running back ta you?" Daryl was seething, his true fear coming through.

"Ain't like that. I fucking signed that I'd turn maself in for fraud. Think I would do that if I wanted ta rip them off?"

"Oh fuck you, Merle. Like you would turn yerself in. You'd just run and hide and lay low until shit blew over. Ya always do. Ya just wanna ruin this fer me. Admit it. It's what ya do."

"Won't believe me anyway, no matter what I say now, right lil brother? Ain't gonna admit nothing, 'cause there ain't nothin' to admit. I'm packin' ma shit up right now. Gonna have her daddy drive me out to the farm with all ma things tomorrow. I'll prove it to you, I mean it this time."

"You better do." Daryl let the piece of paper fall back onto the table and got in Merle's face again. "I'll drive ya out there tomorrow and I swear to fucking God, if ya fuck this up, I'll beat yer ass into the ground before I deliver ya to the cops personally." he shoved Merle once again for good measure and shot him a hard look while he walked out of the house. He had to go back to work, before he got fired for slacking off.

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"Daryl?" Teddy called out carefully when she came home that night. She had Roxy with her, because Daryl had forgotten to take her with him when he'd stormed out. Billy had picked her up and taken her to his apartment until Teddy was done at work.

"Kitchen." came his curt reply.

"Hey." she smiled nervously, while he seemingly let his frustrations out on some zucchini, hacking them to pieces with a big knife.

"You gotta talk to me bout shit, girl. We talked about this. It's that damn abortion pill all over again."

"It was not an abortion pill."

"That ain't even the point. Do ya know what it feels like to find out about this shit? That ya do this behind ma back? Why the fuck didn't ya tell me?" his voice was softer and more high-pitched than usual, showing that now he was more hurt than angry.

"I don't know, it was stupid. I just wanted to take care of this. Solve the problem without you having to do anything this time. I wanted to take care of this for you."

"Don't! That wasn't even remotely about me! That was you playing fucking hero or some shit."

"I just wanted to help. I know that you want him in your life, Daryl. What do you think would have happened if he had robbed my parents? They would have sent him back to jail and he would have been gone again, probably for years and years."

"He'll be gone now, too."

"No, he won't be. He will be out of Jasper, but you will be able to go see him, have a beer with him or whatever. He can come visit us, he has the chance to make a life for himself now. Isn't that what you wanted for him?"

"Maybe it was, but I thought we agreed that he had to do it by himself. You were the one who told me not to help him out this time."

"I know. I fucked up, okay? I should have told you right away. I'm sorry, but I don't think that helping him out was a mistake. I won't apologize for that. Maybe later if it turns out that it was all just one of his schemes, yeah then I'll be sorry for sure and you can say I told you so a million times then. But my dad said that Merle and Hershel hit it off, that they have some kind of understanding or something. I think this might actually work, Daryl. My dad wouldn't have given him the money otherwise."

"It ain't even 'bout the fucking money, Teddy. It's about you and me. Do you get that? You're the one person I'm supposed ta trust without thinking twice about it. And I can't help feeling fucking betrayed when ya hide things from me. First the plane thing and then this? Don't do it again. And I mean it. If I can't trust ya, I can't be with ya. Tell me shit right away, is all I'm asking. If that's asking too much, I guess we're through." he told her point blank. It would kill him to break up with her, but he needed to be able to trust her.

Teddy swallowed hard, her whole world was spinning around her. She hadn't meant for him to feel that way at all, she had just wanted to help and make him happy. Obviously she had chosen the wrong way to do it.

"What's it gonna be, Doc? Am I asking too much of ya?" he asked, staring at her hard with his hands stemmed into his lean hips.

"No." Teddy whispered. "I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you in any way. Quite the opposite."

"But ya did. Not a fucking child, I'm a grown man, I can handle the truth. Ain't gotta keep things from me, don't need ya babying me. This stops now, ya hear me?"

Teddy nodded mutely, almost jumping out of her skin when he started yelling.

"Answer me, damnit!"

"Yes. I promise." Tears started to spill out of her eyes and she had to bite her tongue to keep the sobs in.

"Good." Daryl grumbled and turned his back on her. "Now sit yer ass down. Dinner's ready."

Teddy wasn't hungry, but she didn't dare object. A plate was placed in front of her and she almost gagged. It was eggplant, zucchini and bell peppers in some kind of sauce on rice. All things she hated.

"Dig in." Daryl told her and when she looked up at him, she saw a shimmer of satisfaction in his eyes. Her expression must have pleased him.

"Daryl..."

"What? Oh right, ya don't like this stuff, do ya? Must'a slipped ma mind."

"You're punishing ME with food now?"

"It's kind of our thing, ain't it? Instead of beatin' each other up like my momma and pa used ta, we punish each other by letting the other eat crappy food. Way better than their way, don't ya think?"

"I guess."

"Eat up." he pointed at her plate and then up to her mouth in a sweeping motion, before he took his own spoon into his hand, watching her intently while he began to eat from his plate.

Teddy took a deep breath and pushed the spoon into the veggies, scooping it up with some rice. She put it in her mouth and started chewing. She was already shuddering, it felt like the food in her mouth was growing in volume with every chew and she couldn't bring herself to swallow it. She slapped a hand over her mouth, forcing the food to stay inside. She squeezed her eyes shut and started to swallow it, having to work hard at accomplishing the task. Not only was she really not hungry, but she wasn't kidding about being a picky eater. When she couldn't stand something, she literally couldn't eat it. She felt like she was going to suffocate on the damn rice and she quickly gulped down some water.

"Okay, stop. Stop." Daryl told her after the fourth mouthful had gone down, seeing that she really was torture. "Come here." he reached for her hands and when she had stood up from her chair he dragged her around the table and pulled her on his lap. Tears were still streaming out of her eyes and down her cheeks and Daryl used his thumbs to wipe them away. "Never again. Promise me." he told her softly.

"I promise. I'll never keep anything from you again. I really am sorry. I don't wanna lose you." she sniffled.

"You won't, if ya keep yer promise. Ya know it would kill us both, so let's keep that from happening, alright?" Teddy almost started bawling like a baby with relief, when a little smile appeared on his face. For a moment she had really thought it was all over. She nodded eagerly and a little sob escaped her, when he pressed his lips against hers gently.

"It's forgiven now. Don't cry." he murmured against her skin while his lips pressed little kisses all over her tear-stained face. But Teddy couldn't stop, the floodgates opened and about a month worth of tears came out. This fight had been a shock to her system and she swore to herself to never do anything behind Daryl's back again, now matter how good her intentions might be. Daryl held her and let her cry it out, reassuring her that they were okay. In a way he was relieved that Merle would live out near Ellijay now, because whenever he was around, whether he meant to or not, he always caused some kind of trouble.

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**AN: Thank you for reading and supporting this story! You are all appreciated. **

**So... Merle gonna be a good boy? We all know he can change. I loved that scene in Season 3 between him and Hershel, that's why I used it here. I think those two would have been tight, if given more time. And don't worry about Teddy and Daryl. Couples fight. Hard sometimes as I am sure a lot of you know. Doesn't mean they are gonna break up any time soon or ever. There are nicer things ahead, promise.  
**

**Dear Snowbird, thank you so much for your kind words. They put a smile on my face.  
**


	22. Chapter 22

**Hi everybody, here's your new chapter. Don't forget to check the stories tumblr. There will be a couple of visuals for this chapter. You can find it here : jaylee8301 dot tumblr dot com**

**Enjoy!**

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Weeks passed and the nightmare that had been their month of August was finally over, giving them new hope for a better September. There would be at least one joyous event: the wedding of Billy and Maggie. Both families were planning like crazy to get everything ready in time. Maggie was stressed out about her dress. She wasn't really showing yet, she had filled out a little, though and was in a panic about possibly not fitting into her dress on her big day. Her sister Beth had suggested a dress with a corsage, that way if she started showing a little, they would just tie it up a little less tight in the back, and now they were looking like crazy for the right one.

Teddy and Daryl were glad that they didn't have any parts in the wedding, other than being guests, so they were kept out of the big wedding planning committee. It was Bernadette, Maggie and Beth, who did all the work and Billy got roped into it, because he was the groom, but he didn't have much say in anything anyway. Gerald and Bernadette spent a lot of evenings on the farm, because of the preparations and they always made sure to talk to Merle and keep him up to date on what Teddy and Daryl were up to, and later, they would tell Teddy and Daryl how well Merle was doing on the farm. He'd been there for four weeks now and he was getting a lot of praise from Hershel and the family. He was doing good. He still had a big mouth and liked to hear himself talk, but he worked hard and helped out a lot and was slowly becoming a fixture in the Greene household. He hadn't contacted Daryl, yet. He wanted to wait a little longer and give himself the chance to get his head straight a bit more. The farm and family life had been good for him. It kept him busy and his head clear. He had already paid Gerald back 2000 dollars, after having worked a lot of overtime. A fact, that calmed Daryl down massively. He'd been nervous as hell about Merle not holding up his end of the bargain. But things finally seemed to work out for everybody for once.

Daryl was glad that Teddy didn't make him wear a suit to the wedding. Shirt and tie will be good enough, she had said, but she expected him to wear nice pants and he'd agreed begrudgingly. It was still better than wearing a complete monkey suit. He did not envy Billy or his best man. If it would be a hot day, they would be sweating their asses off in their black suits, while he'd be perfectly good with his white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Teddy loved the white shirt on him, said it made his shoulders pop even more. She probably wouldn't be able to keep her hands off of him and he certainly wouldn't complain about some post-wedding sex, that would be sure to follow.

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When Daryl came home on a Friday night in mid-September, he found Teddy asleep on the couch. The previous night she had to leave to help deliver a baby and he hadn't seen her since. It had taken long enough for the baby to pop out, for her to have to go straight to work after. He hated that part of her job. Her having to leave in the middle of the night didn't happen too often, but he would prefer if it wouldn't happen at all. He worried when she drove around at night, especially when she had to go patch up some drunk asshole or a woman who'd been beaten by her husband. Daryl was worried she might catch a beating, too, one of these nights, while she was just trying to help.

He kept Roxy from jumping her, motioning for her to go to her bed, while he knelt on the floor in front of the couch. His index and middle finger carefully pushed a strand of hair behind Teddy's ear, his fingers slowly caressing the outer shell while he pulled them away from her head.

"Darlin'." he murmured in a low voice, trying to wake her up just enough for her to go into the bedroom and lay down on the bed. Teddy didn't stir, though. Not even her breathing changed, she was dead to the world. Not surprising after having spent almost 40 hours awake and working.

Daryl got up and carefully pushed his hands between her body and the couch. When he had a good grip on her, he lifted her into his arms effortlessly and carried her into their bedroom. He laid her down on her side of the bed, then he kicked off his Red Wing boots, took his phone out of his pocket, put it on his nightstand and laid down next to her on his side. He propped his head up in his hand and watched her sleep. He knew it would be considered creepy, but he just loved looking at her, he couldn't help it. He was addicted to the way his heart skipped a beat and to the rush that made his blood sing with warmth, happiness and desire alike, whenever he truly looked at her.

Asleep, make-up free and all relaxed, she looked so much younger than she really was, and so much smaller. Daryl had the urge to scoop her into his strong arms, so much bigger than her own, and protect her from everything bad they might have coming their way. He played with her hair, letting the soft, silky strands glide through his fingers. He loved the way it felt when he buried his hands in her tresses. He loved the way it tickled his chest, his belly, his groin and thighs, when she spent, what seemed like a blissful eternity, worshiping his body with her mouth. She would spend hours kissing and caressing every inch of him, showing him that she loved and accepted every single part of his body, just like he did with hers. Her skin was unlike anything he had ever felt. It was ridiculously soft and smooth. It felt like a warm mix of satin and velvet. Daryl gently ran his palm up her leg, not worried about waking her at this point. He found himself grinning, when he felt the teeny tiny stubble of hair against his palm, knowing she would freak and run to the bathroom to shave if he would mention it. The stubble didn't bother him at all, it was a natural occurrence and he didn't want her to feel the need to shave twice daily to make sure she was as smooth as a baby's bottom. He knew she would if he would be enough of a douchebag to ask her to. She wanted to be absolutely perfect for him, not understanding, that she already was in his eyes. The wild bed head she sometimes sported? Cute as fuck. The mascara smudges that could be found underneath her eyes on some mornings? Kinda sexy. Gave her a bit of a 'just fucked' look. The little mole on the left, right next to her belly button, which she hated so much? A great starting point for his mouth to explore her body anew. That loud, obnoxious laugh she had, that turned into a pig's snort when she couldn't stop laughing long enough to breathe? Music to his ears. The best fucking song he'd ever heard. He'd put it on non-stop repeat if he could.

People would look at her disapprovingly, when she would laugh out loud in public, so he knew to other people her laugh was really annoying, but he couldn't get enough of it. He might not have the best grasp on the concept of love, but he was pretty sure, that this meant he was absolutely crazy about her. Like the tightening of his chest, every time she was around him wasn't indication enough... He was, without the shadow of a doubt, in love with her. Deeply and hopelessly. Probably had been since the night of the party when she had patched him up, it had just taken him a bit longer to figure it out, than it had taken her to realize her feelings for him.

What he had ever done right to make her fall in love with him, he had no idea. He'd been an ass to her, when they had first met. When he first saw her in the bakery his first thoughts (apart from being suspicious of her) had been: hot, but a snob. And he'd treated her like shit. He'd mostly barked and snarled at her like a dog. How in the world that had made her develop feelings for him was beyond him. Wasn't like she could have fallen for his good looks. He knew he was in good shape, he was okay with his body, apart from the scars, but face-wise, he was butt ugly with his beady little eyes, thin lips and weird nose. He would never in a million years consider himself to be attractive. Much less pretty. Yeah, pretty she had called him once. She thought all those things of him, pretty, beautiful, gorgeous, sexy, hot... She was out of her mind, but hey, her bad taste was his fucking luck. He believed her when she told him, though, because there was no way to fake that amount of adoration her eyes held for him. She loved him with all her heart and he knew it was true. Even though he couldn't fathom why she had given her heart to him, he never doubted her feelings for him. They were displayed on her face every time she looked at him and she told him through her actions and little gestures and that was a language he understood clearly.

As cheesy as it sounded to his own ears, and he would never ever say it out loud, but he truly believed that they were made for each other. There was no other reason to plausibly explain how they worked so well as a couple, considering those two vastly different worlds they were coming from. Someone was up there watching them and had planned all this. They were meant to be and he knew he would never fall in love again with anyone else. Teddy was for him. She was his and always would be.

He felt his eyes sting with unshed tears and he quickly tore himself out of his thoughts, before he started bawling like a damn baby, because of the overwhelming love he felt for her. He chuckled at himself, jokingly berating himself for being a pussy, and carefully pulled the covers over Teddy's body. He kissed her forehead, keeping his lips pressed against them for a moment.

"Love ya. Ya don't know how much." he murmured, repeating the words she had told him a couple of weeks ago back to her, before he pulled away. He carefully scooted off the bed and left the room to fix himself some dinner, closing the door behind him so she could sleep.

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"Daryl..." Teddy whispered towards his dark head of hair that was resting on her chest.

"Huh?" he grunted in reply, barely awake.

"Our upstairs neighbors are having sex." she complained with a pout while she stared up at the ceiling, the sound of their bed slightly sliding back and forth on their floor was grating on her nerves.

"So?" he murmured, already on his way back to dream land.

"It's keeping me up. How can you sleep with their bed tearing up their floor?"

"'M tired." he mumbled, shifting slightly, curling his leg around hers tighter. "Jus' close yer eyes and go back to sleep. They'll be done in a minute."

"No, always takes them forever."

"What ya want me to do? Go up there and tell them to put a carpet under their bed? Be glad they only do it once a month." he sighed deeply, burrowing his face deeper into her chest.

"But why do they have to do it at 4.30 am on a Saturday?"

"You woke me up at 4.30 am on a Saturday?"

"Why should I suffer alone?" Teddy giggled and moved her head up to kiss the top of his head. "Thought they'd be past the age of having sex by now."

That made Daryl scoff. "There ain't no being past the age for that, girl. I'll still bang your brains out every day when I'm 65."

"Oh really? We'll see about that. I'll write that down on a piece of paper later and have you sign it. Then I'll put it in a box and when you're 65 and the only thing you'll do with me is argue about the stupidest things, I'll get that box out and remind you of your promise." she laughed quietly while she let her fingers play with his hair.

"Or I'll remind you when ya refuse to let me fulfill ma marital duties." he grinned with his eyes still closed. "We'll be raisin' hell in that old folk home. Teach 'em youngsters how it's done."

"You think we'll be living in a nursing home at that age already? I'd only be 59, younger than my parents are now. I think we'll still be home for another couple of years then."

"Yeah, guess you're right." he yawned and once more tried to go back to sleep, but now he couldn't stop focusing on the noise either and he chuckled when they heard a woman damn near shouting with glee through the ceiling. "Poor dude. She's fakin' it for sure."

"You think?" Teddy giggled quietly.

"Yup. Way too enthusiastic. Ain't real."

"Poor woman. Probably means that he doesn't know what he's doing." Teddy deduced.

"Or she's like you. The way you were. You had a hard time lettin' go when we got together." he reminded her with smile. Not that she could see it, he remained cuddled into her chest, but she was able to hear it in his voice.

"But they've been married forever according to my parents. She should be past that point, now. Look how quickly you can get me there now, after a couple of months."

"'Cause I like playin' with ya and I want you to get off, too. Maybe he ain't interested in her pleasure."

"Poor woman." Teddy sighed again.

"Yeah, you win. Poor woman. They done. Go back to sleep." he yawned again and shifted once more to get more comfortable.

"Think she shaves? 'Cause I think I might start shaving when I go grey." Teddy mused out loud, making Daryl's head snap up and shoot her an incredulous look with sleepy eyes. She was barely able to make him out in the dim moonlight, but she could literally feel his eyes on her.

"Teddy, I ain't kiddin'. Sleep now, or I'll spank ya and trust me, I won't make it good." he grumbled and let his head flop back on her chest. "And jus' so you know, if you start shaving, I start shaving."

"God no." Teddy giggled.

"Sleep." he grunted one last time and with Teddy finally being quiet, and still playing with his hair, he fell back asleep.

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"Oh wow!" Teddy exclaimed while she read the paper during breakfast a couple of hours later.

"What?" Daryl tore his eyes away from his 'Cycle World' motorcycle magazine and looked up at her questioningly.

"A family in Texas claims to have caught a chupacabra in their backyard." Teddy read to him.

"Told you they exist." Daryl shrugged nonchalantly, not really fazed by the news.

"A wildlife diversity biologist with Texas Parks and Wildlife, said the Texas animal was likely a dog, fox or coyote that has mange. Here's a picture." Teddy handed him the paper. Daryl looked at the picture of the creature and shook his head.

"Nah, ain't one. The one I saw looked different." he told her, handing back the paper.

"But didn't you say that you weren't quite that sober when you saw it?" she said with a teasing smile.

"You're jus' like Merle. I know what I saw! Those shrooms didn't have anything to do with it." he grumbled defensively and turned his attention back to his magazine. He didn't like being doubted.

"Alright. More juice, honey?" Teddy asked when she grabbed the pitcher of orange juice to refill her glass.

"Yeah, thanks. What's on the docket for today. Anythin' important?" he asked around a piece of bacon he had stuffed into his mouth.

"No. Grocery shopping, laundry, cleaning, nothing exciting. Just a nice and boring weekend."

"Sounds good ta me. Had enough excitement last month to last us a fucking year." he said while he finished up with his magazine and put it on top of the newspaper she had read. "Got the list ready?"

"Here it is. Take a look, see if I forgot something."

"Chocolate." he said right away upon not finding his favorite food item on the list.

"Baby, we ALWAYS get chocolate. We never ever forget buying it. YOU make sure that we don't forget it, so no need to put it down on the list, is there?" Teddy giggled and leaned down to him and kissed his cheek while she cleared the table.

"You makin' fun of me or somethin?" he playfully narrowed his eyes at her.

"Or something." she laughed and squeaked a moment later when his palm landed hard on her ass.

"Daryl!" she giggled while she rubbed the stinging spot with her hand.

"You're startin' to ask for it again." he smirked.

"Maybe. Oh, before I forget, I'll have to go out for a bit and check on the new baby this afternoon."

"Great." he huffed. "That gonna take twelve hours, too?"

"Nope, just an hour, I guess. The mother had gestational diabetes, so I gotta make sure the baby's and mother's blood sugar levels are okay and see how the little squirt is doing."

"Fine." he sighed, not happy, but it was her job and he couldn't keep her from going.

"I'm sure you'll find something to occupy yourself with for an hour." she winked and placed another kiss on his lips, before they left to get their shopping done.

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Teddy left around three in the afternoon for her appointment with the new parents and their baby and when she came back, she found out that Daryl had indeed found something to occupy himself with.

"Hey." she greeted him brightly when she stepped into the kitchen, where he sat at the kitchen table, highly focused on something in his hands.

"Hey." he mumbled absently, while he looked back and forth between his hands with a frown, turning his hands, to examine all sides of whatever he was holding. Teddy stepped closer and looked over the black plastic parts on the table and in his hands and her jaw dropped to the floor, her face flushing, when she realized what those parts were, or used to be: Her mini magic wand vibrator.

"Uhm... I-is,... that my vibrator?"

His head finally popped up to look at her questioningly with his eyebrows raised, while he screwed the round head back on the handle, or whatever you wanted to call it. "Hm? Oh, yeah."

"What are you doing with it?" Teddy watched his hands sceptically.

"Found it when I was lookin' for batteries. Ain't never been up close and personal with one, was curious how they worked. I was bored and ya said I should find something ta occupy myself with. Found something." he said matter-of-factly and waved the half-assembled vibrator in the air.

"Okay, first of all,... you looked for batteries in my nightstand?"

"And that's exactly where I found 'em." he grinned.

"Yeah, but those are for,... well... THAT." she pointed to her sex toy in his hands. "The other ones are here, in that kitchen drawer."

"I know, but they weren't the right ones."

"So you decided to look in my nightstand?"

"Took a chance,... thought ya might have something like this in there. Figured it had the ones I needed." he shrugged and looked up at her grinning. "But don't worry, since ya had two whole packs of batteries stocked right next ta it, I didn't have to take them outta yer little toy."

"Well, does it still work?" she asked a little defensively. She didn't know why, but she was a little embarrassed by him finding her sex toy.

"Why? Ain't like ya need it these days, or do ya?" he leaned back in his chair and looked her over from head to toe and back up. He leaned forward and grabbed her wrist with his free hand and pulled her to straddle him on the chair. "When was the last time ya used it?"

Teddy's cheeks flushed an even darker shade of crimson while she shrugged. She didn't look him in the eyes, she focused on the soft fabric of his black t-shirt, idly plucking at it with her fingertips.

Daryl raised an eyebrow in surprise, not able to fight the smile on his face, he loved when he was able to make her blush. "Oh, so recently, yes? When, darlin'?"

Teddy cleared her throat, feeling tempted to lie and tell him she never used it anymore. She didn't want him to feel like he couldn't give her what the toy was able to give her, but she had promised him to never keep anything from him again and lying about something so small would be even worse. She'd just have to get over her embarrassment and hope that he wouldn't feel bad about her using the toy.

"I,... uhm,... I only use it, when we can't do it." she answered truthfully, but the answer wasn't enough for Daryl.

"Gotta do better than that, sweetheart. Tell me what ya mean by that. Come on, you can tell me." he coaxed her, even though he had a pretty good idea what she meant, but he wanted to hear her say it.

"You know how horny I am when I'm on my period... God that sounds gross." she hid her red face behind her hands. "But I use tampons, there's no mess or anything... God why am I even talking about this, please forget it, okay?"

"Nah, ya can forget about that. I wanna hear more."

"No, Daryl, come on."

"You come on. Ain't nothin' ta be ashamed about 'nd I wanna hear more. That thing make ya cum better than I can?"

"No, not better. I have way better orgasms with you."

"But? It don't get tired?" Daryl smirked when Teddy looked up at him in surprise. It was like he was reading her mind.

"No, it doesn't. Vibrations keep coming." she muttered and let her eyes flick back down to his chest.

"And you keep cummin', hm? How many times? Three times? Four times? How many times can it make ya cum? Don't lie, I wanna know." his voice was a sexy whisper close to her ear.

"Eight?" Teddy's voice had turned into a whisper, but Daryl had heard her nonetheless and he was floored.

"EIGHT?" he shouted in disbelief. "You're kiddin'. You mean ta tell me, that ya can have eight fucking orgasms in a row? Real, full-blown orgasms?"

"Not real, full blown... the first two, yes, but after that... I don't know how to explain it. The sensation is still there, it get's really intense, but it's not a whole body thing anymore, it's focused down there, like little intense shakes and then it builds up again and releases with another little shake, it's not real orgasms anymore, I guess, but close. It always took me a while to get myself there, as you know, but when I made it, I just kept going... had to make it count, you know?" she felt her face burning from embarrassment. Daryl looked truly shocked and it didn't help easing her shame at all.

"Wow." Daryl processed this for a moment. He'd been able to give her three, if he pushed through he would probably be able to give her four, but eight? That he couldn't do. Unless... A devilish grin parted his lips, when an idea started to form in his head. His hands, his mouth and his dick would get tired, but her vibrator wouldn't. He could use it while they were together. He would definitely keep that in mind for later, but now he wanted a little taste of what that thing could do for her.

"Ya wanted ta know if it still worked?" he guided the vibrator underneath her skirt and up between her legs. "You tell me." with those words he turned it on and pressed it against her panty-covered core. Teddy dug her fingers into his broad shoulders with a yelp, as the strong vibrations hit her.

"Take yer blouse off. Top, too." he watched her while she unbuttoned her slate grey blouse with her shaky fingers, letting the head of the vibrator trace along her pussy from top to bottom and back up, the panties keeping the vibrations from hitting her to full-effect yet. When she had taken both articles of clothing off, he pulled down the cups of her black lace bra, catching one of her nipples between his teeth and flicking his tongue against the hardening peak.

Teddy hissed and threaded her small hands in his hair, clutching his head to her, all the while moving her pelvis against the vibrator, trying to get it to the right spot. Daryl used his free hand to tear at her panties and pushing them out of the way as best as he could in this position, then he let the round, vibrating head come in contact with her clit, tearing the most delicious sounds from Teddy's lips. She screamed his name, and her eyes rolled back into her head, when he pushed two fingers inside of her and curling them, stroking his fingertips along that magic spot on her front wall with slow, but firm movements while he suckled her tits, the unrelenting vibrations against her clit sending her racing towards the edge. Her response to what he was doing to her had his cock hard and throbbing painfully in under a minute. Images of pushing her back on the table and slamming himself inside of her balls-deep were filling his head, when she started fluttering frantically around his fingers.

"Come on, darlin'. Give it up." he coaxed, voice hoarse with desire and he started wriggling his fingertips against her g-spot faster and Teddy went flying. Her body was out of control and the force of her orgasm sent her falling forward against Daryl, pressing him against the back of the chair, her hand in his hair pulling so hard, that he thought she had pulled out a whole fistful of it. The rest of her body stilled, but her pelvis was shaking and jerking uncontrollably, while she moaned and whimpered loudly, almost sounding like she was in agony. Daryl felt her gushing over his hand, groaning out his excitement when he felt the evidence of her pleasure coating his hand.

He didn't give her time to calm down. He withdrew his fingers and wrapped his arm around her back, the other hand digging the vibrator into the back of her thigh, while he lifted her onto the table. He made quick work of his jeans and underwear, it only took a couple of seconds until he pushed the wide head of his cock into her, his eyes slamming shut and his head falling back when he felt her wet opening engulf the tip of him, her muscles already squeezing and clamping down on him.

"You know," he groaned under his breath, while he thrust inside deeper. "Always thought ya had one of 'em dick-shaped things. Something ta put inside'a you." Daryl took her hands in his and pulled her up into a sitting position. He wrapped his arms around her back and held her close to him, while he moved in and out of her slowly, the tip of his nose nuzzling her face while he talked quietly.

"Ya like being filled. Ya need somethin' stretchin' ya, don't cha darlin'? The way you clamp down on me and squeeze the shit outta me with these muscles of yours as soon as I'm in ya,... You need ta get slammed, sweetheart. Ya need to feel me right against the end'a you. Ya need it to set ya off. Ya need me, don't cha, Teddy? Need me to make ya cum right."

"Yes." Teddy breathed with her eyes closed, enjoying his closeness and the way he moved inside of her, slow and controlled, even though she was able to feel the need bubbling just underneath his skin.

"Tell me." he whispered and nipped her bottom lip, before he let her speak.

"I need you, baby. Make me feel good, please."

Daryl groaned deep in his throat and gave her a deep, hard thrust to bump against her cervix. "Like that?"

"Yes, oh God, yes." Teddy yelped and let herself fall back on the table as soon as his hands released her.

"Let's try how this feels for ya, when we use yer toy." he growled and took the vibrator back into his right hand and pushed the tip against the soft flesh right on top of her clit.

Teddy screamed again and her hips came off the table, Daryl roared loudly, his knees almost buckling when he felt her walls constricting around him like never before. He pinned her hips down with his free hand and started pumping his pelvis into hers, making sure to stay embedded deeply inside of her all the time, barely pulling back an inch before he pushed back in, giving her cervix the attention Teddy liked best. In the back of his mind he wasn't even sure he would be able to pull out all the way, much less back in, she was gripping him so damn hard.

Teddy was thrashing and wailing as her second climax ripped through her, so much more intense than usual. Daryl didn't want it to end, he wanted to keep doing this forever, but he didn't stand a chance. This time, even he released a loud scream, when he was violently shoved over the edge, having to hold on to the edge of the table with both hands when his knees threatened to give out. They sounded like animals, but Teddy didn't even notice. She was shaking like she was touching a live-wire, sweat covering her body, her wails dying down to whimpers, when Daryl finally removed the vibrator and she finally relaxed. Her arms flopped down on the table, her legs dangling over the edge, while she tried to catch her breath. Daryl sank to the floor, not having the wherewithal to reach for the chair. He sank back, supporting himself on one hand while he pushed sweaty strands of hair out of his face with the other.

"Holy fuck." he muttered, not able to think straight yet. A knock on the door startled them, but neither was ready to move, their legs were way too shaky.

"WHAT?" Daryl yelled through the apartment. Loud enough for the person outside to hear. They had to strain their ears in order to hear the muffled voice, shouting back to them, but they were able to hear it.

"We are having friends over for coffee! If you could keep it down, please? Thank you!"

Teddy leaned up on her elbows to look at Daryl and suddenly, they burst out into laughter and Daryl let himself fall on his back on the floor and pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes.

"Well shit. Looks like we ain't making any more friends in this building." he laughed, still out of breath.

"Most certainly not." Teddy giggled under her breath. "But who fucking cares. Guess I can't complain about them having sex ever again, can I?"

"Nope."

"Damn."

######### ######### ######### ###### ####### #######

One week later the big day was upon them. Daryl was sitting on the steps in front of the building, enjoying a smoke while he waited for Teddy to come down, so they could drive to the farm for the wedding. She wasn't able to decide on a pair of shoes and Daryl hadn't been any help. Dear God, they had all been black and strappy and sexy as hell, and they also all looked kind of the same to him, what the hell was he supposed to say? So she had ushered him out and told him to wait outside.

When he was on his second smoke, he finally heard the clacking of her heels in the hall and before he had a chance to turn around to look at her, a black piece of fabric was dangling in front of his eyes.

"Didn't you forget something?" she grinned, when he cursed under his breath. He hated wearing a tie and he thought by the time she noticed that he hadn't put it on, they would be halfway to the farm.

"Damn." he sighed miserably, making Teddy giggle. She put the tie around his neck and grabbed both ends of it to pull him to her for a kiss.

"You look so handsome. Gonna give the groom a run for his money." she smiled, while Daryl shifted uncomfortably.

"Really gotta wear this noose, huh?"

"At least for the ceremony and the family pictures. You can take it off again for the party. Come on, Maggie said that even Merle is gonna wear a tie. If he can do it, so can you." she knew that would get him to wear the tie for sure and she was certain that he would try to wear it longer than Merle as some kind of brotherly pissing contest.

"Pffft, won't believe that until I see it. Now come on, yer momma's gonna tear us a new one if we're late." He got up from the steps, took her hand and led her to her car and Teddy fell in love all over, when he was the perfect gentleman and open and closed the door for her.

###### ######

After arriving at the farm, a nervous wreck called Billy immediately grabbed his sister and took her with him to his room for some moral support and to calm him down. It gave Daryl a chance to seek out his own brother. It didn't take long to find him, Merle's voice carried and he soon found him talking with Gerald and Hershel. Teddy had been right, Merle had really cleaned up and was wearing a shirt and tie, just like Daryl was. Merle had a shit-eating grin on his face, when he spotted his little brother.

"Look at ma baby brother. Couldn't even get a decent hair cut for a wedding, boy?"

"Ain't MY wedding, Merle. Don't nobody care what I look like." Daryl rolled his eyes. Clearly Merle hadn't changed too much, but that was alright by him. As long as he didn't fuck up his new life, Daryl gladly took some verbal jabs.

"What about yer girl. Ain't she givin' ya hell 'bout it?"

"Teddy likes it and I'm guessing that is all he cares about, right Daryl?" Gerald smiled and slapped Daryl on the shoulder with the affection of a proud father.

"Where is she anyway?" Merle asked, looking around.

"Billy grabbed her." Daryl replied and Gerald took it as his cue to give the brothers some time alone.

"We should probably check on our kids." Gerald said and motioned for Hershel to come with him.

"You're right. We will see you boys after the ceremony." Hershel smiled and put his hand on Merle's arm in passing.

"You good?" Daryl asked when they were alone.

"Yeah. Got yer girl and her daddy ta thank for that. Saved ma ass." Merle admitted and Daryl couldn't help but smirk.

"Oh yeah? So what you're really sayin' is, that I was right? They're good people?"

"Yeah, yeah, you jus' go ahead and gloat. Guess ya earned the right this time."

"Sure did." Daryl nodded while he pulled a pack of cigarettes and a lighter out of his pants pocket, offering his brother one.

"Look at us, wearin' ties and bein' at a wedding. Who would've thought, huh?" Merle mused while he took a smoke.

"A lot has changed. You changed. 'm glad ya did." Daryl said quietly, not looking at his brother. They weren't into touchy feely stuff, but Daryl wanted Merle to know that he was proud of him.

"Yeah. So did you. That girl of yers is good for ya." Merle took a long drag of his cigarette and slowly blew out the smoke. "Her daddy just blabbed a little secret,... It true?"

"Yeah." Daryl knew what Merle was talking about.

"Good." Merle looked Daryl in the eyes and gave him a nod, showing he meant what he said.

######## ########

The ceremony was wonderful and Maggie was the most beautiful bride Teddy had ever seen. She and Bernadette were crying their eyes out watching Billy being all grown-up and getting married to that great woman. Billy had tears in his eyes when he saw Maggie walk down the aisle on Hershel's arm. The best man had to slip him a tissue, so he could wipe his tears from his face, the whole scene effectively making every woman swoon. It was obvious how much Billy was in love with his bride.

Teddy was clutching Daryl's hand hard, somehow thinking it might help her get a grip on herself, but it was hopeless, her little brother was getting married and it touched her heart deeply. She was incredibly happy for them. Daryl couldn't do much more than squeeze her hand and hand her tissue after tissue during the ceremony. He had liked the whole ceremony, but he hadn't been as touched by it as the women of the family. When he looked around he saw every woman in attendance cry and their partners handing them tissues. Seemed like that was a thing.

After the ceremony all the women, rushed to redo their make-up before the pictures were taken. Daryl could have done without that whole photo shoot. It took forever and he was starving. There had to be pictures taken of the Greene family, then the Robertsons, then the groom and the bride with just the parents, then with the parents and siblings, then a picture of all of them, and so on and so on. Daryl was happy when they were dismissed and the photographer moved on to taking shots of just Billy and Maggie. He grabbed Teddy's hand and pulled her towards the table with the drinks and snacks.

"You can drink, honey. I can drive back later." Teddy told him, but Daryl declined and handed her a glass of champagne.

"Nah, here. You worked like crazy in the past weeks. You let loose a little."

"It wasn't THAT much, only two nights I had to go out. You're not trying to get me drunk, are you, Mr. Dixon?"

"Maybe I am. Why? Scared I'll ask ya some questions ya wouldn't answer sober?"

"That thought hadn't even crossed my mind. Now you have me scared for real. Better pass this on to my mom." she laughed while pointing to her glass.

"Nah, you jus' go ahead and drink up." Daryl chuckled and kissed her cheek while he grabbed himself a crab cake from the table.

"TEDDY! Billy wants another picture with you!" Beth yelled towards her and Teddy rolled her eyes when she handed her glass back to Daryl.

"Awesome. Hope they will be done soon. These shoes were made for sitting only." Teddy muttered and followed Beth back to the newlyweds.

Daryl watched her go, his chest tightening, as well as his groin, as his eyes swept over her retreating form. Those shoes might not just be for sitting. They also looked pretty damn good for drumming against his back and ass while he made her his over and over again. She looked so pretty in that little strapless black dress, he was more than a little tempted to nibble along her shoulder blades and sink his teeth into the back of her neck. Her soft, tanned skin was calling to him, making his fingers itch and his mouth water. He couldn't wait to get her back home later.

"Soooo,..." Gerald approached Daryl from behind, making the younger man jump a little in shock. Daryl turned to face him and looked at him questioningly.

"So?"

"Just thought I'd check in with you. I was curious..."

"Think I changed my mind after the ceremony?" Daryl chuckled.

"Maybe a little. Can be pretty overwhelming, imagining yourself in their spot."

"Kinda is, but that don't scare me. I know what I want."

"Good to know. You are still intent on waiting a little longer until you'll ask her?"

"Yeah. We ain't in no rush. And I don't want her to think I'm askin' her because of all this happenin'." Daryl explained once more, even though he had already told Gerald a couple of days earlier.

"But if you're in no rush, why did you already ask my permission?" Gerald asked, making Daryl a little impatient, because they had already talked about all that and Daryl hated going over things over and over again.

"Told ya, felt adventurous that day."

"Now you're waiting to feel adventurous again before you ask her?"

"Maybe." Daryl shrugged, hoping Gerald would get the hint that he didn't feel like discussing this further. He was a little mad at him for already blabbing to Merle.

"Alright. Well you got the rings, you got our blessing, now you just need to get yourself the girl. I'll go see where my special girl has wandered off to. I'll see you later, son." Gerald smiled and patted him on the back before he ventured towards the site of the photo shoot to look for his wife.

Teddy came back a couple of minutes later and smiled. "Should have warned you, my father is drunk on happiness today. Don't be surprised when he starts hugging you repeatedly."

"Avoid yer daddy from now on. Piece'a cake." Daryl muttered and handed her back her glass.

"Oh and by the way, Merle took off his tie." Teddy smirked and laughed out loud when Daryl immediately started yanking on his.

"Thank fucking God." he mumbled under his breath. He took it off and stuffed it into her tiny purse, filling it to the brim, before he handed it back to her with a little relieved smile. "Now we can party."

######### ######## ######### ########## ############ #########

**AN: Thank you for reading and supporting this story everybody. Hope you enjoyed the fluffy chapter. **

**Thank you to my lovely reviewers:  
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	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

_**5 days earlier (Monday before the wedding)**_

_Daryl was taking Roxy for a walk while Teddy had stayed at home to finish up some paperwork that needed to get done for work. He was lost in thought while he walked, his mind was on Teddy and the thing he'd been thinking about for a little while now. He really wasn't all that surprised that he found himself in front of Gerald and Bernadette's home about half an hour into his walk. It was like his thoughts had steered him into that direction. He wasn't sure if they were home, they spent a lot of time on the farm to prepare for Billy's wedding, but he had to try his luck, not knowing when he would get the chance to come here alone again._

_He walked up to the door and rang the bell. Rosario opened a short moment later and greeted him with a big smile and a happy twinkle in her eyes._

"_Hola, Mr. Daryl. No one home, but Mr. Robertson. You here to see him?" she asked with her thick Spanish accent._

_Daryl was about to say yes, when Gerald came walking out of the living room, clearly surprised at seeing his daughter's boyfriend. Roxy walked towards him with her tail wagging and he greeted her by petting her head and scratching behind her ears._

"_Hello pretty girl, good to see you. Daryl, hi. Come on in. What brings you around?" Gerald was curious what would make Daryl show up to their house all by himself._

"_Was hopin' ta talk to ya. Got a minute?"_

"_Of course, let's go into my office." Gerald led the way and looked over his shoulder while they walked down the hall. "Everything okay?"_

"_Yeah. All good." Daryl nodded and headed straight for one of the chairs in front of Gerald's big desk, while the older man fixed them a drink. Daryl was grateful for the whiskey on ice that was handed to him and quickly took a big gulp._

"_So? What did you want to talk about, son?" Gerald smiled at him while Roxy nudged himself between his legs so he would keep petting her. _

"_Eerrrm,... I been thinkin' a lot lately. Bout Teddy and me. I know that ya might think this is too early, but ya don't know me. Don't know the way I was 'fore I met her. Never been with someone before. Not like with her. I ain't never had a relationship. Ain't never been in love neither." he cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably. He hated talking about his feelings, especially to someone who wasn't Teddy, but he wanted to do this right. _

_Gerald had quickly figured out what Daryl was talking about and why he was talking about it, and he had to fight hard to keep the smirk off his face. He wanted to hear what Daryl had to say. "You know I follow ma gut. It never failed me. I KNOW that Teddy is for me. The one for me, I mean... Even if I ain't the one for her and she moves on one day, I know that I won't ever fall for no one else. So,... " Daryl took a deep breath and rubbed his hands over his thighs nervously. "I'm,... uumm,... I'm askin' for yer permission to marry Teddy." he blushed hard, but he was proud that he had actually gotten the words out._

_He looked up at Gerald shyly, clasping his hands and pressing them together between his knees while he waited for a reply. Gerald didn't say anything, but he was smiling broadly at Daryl for a moment, then he got up and walked over to his safe. Daryl worried for a moment that he was getting out a shotgun, but relaxed again, when he watched him take out two little boxes. Gerald sat back down at his desk and opened both ring boxes and looked at the contents with a happy smile. His eyes glistened for a second, before he quickly blinked his tears away. Daryl was confused, not really grasping what was happening, until Gerald turned the boxes, so Daryl was able to see the rings inside of them._

"_These were my mother's. Her engagement ring and her wedding ring. Teddy's loved these rings ever since she was a little girl. Every time we went to see my mother, Teddy ran up to her and pulled the rings from her finger and put them on her own, and then she'd walk _

_around the house for hours, holding her hand in the air, so the rings wouldn't fall off and admiring how pretty they looked and how they sparkled in the light. She was so sad when she didn't get them after my mother died. She thinks that her aunt got them, but I've had them all along. I had to promise my mother to hide them from Teddy. She made me promise to hold on to them, made me promise to give them to my future son-in-law to propose to Teddy with, IF I thought he was the right guy for her." Gerald smiled to himself, still remembering one of the last talks he ever had with his mother before she died, like it had been just yesterday. Daryl held his breath. Did Gerald think he was the right guy, or not?_

"_Did you buy a ring already?" Gerald asked him._

"_No, was plannin' on saving up a little more for a good one."_

"_You don't have to. I'm sure you would have picked out a beautiful ring for her, but trust me, Daryl, no ring you could ever buy would make her as happy as you giving her these." Gerald got up and walked around his desk to stand in front of Daryl. He held his hand out to shake Daryl's, who quickly got up and accepted the handshake. Gerald put his other hand on top of their joined ones and exhaled deeply, a big smile spreading his lips._

"_You have my permission, son. And my blessing. I don't think there is another man out there that would ever make my daughter as happy as you make her. I've been a fool once, I know that, but I won't make that mistake twice. You are the man for her, Daryl Dixon. Please accept the rings. They were meant for Teddy. My mother wanted her to get married with them."_

_Daryl smiled in relief and nodded, quickly taking the little boxes when Gerald handed them to him. "Thanks. But let me pay ya for this. I mean, a guy's supposed ta pay for the rings, right?"_

"_Don't worry about that, Daryl. That's just some mumbo jumbo some greedy person came up with years ago. It's nonsense. To Teddy these will be priceless, whether you paid something for them or not. Save your money, son. I understand you want a house in the woods some day? I am sure each and every penny you can save will help with that. Say, how much money would that cost anyway? Building that house? Have you checked?"_

"_Yeah like 100,000 dollars. That's just pure building cost. Then there's furniture and stuff like that. Would wanna make it real good for Teddy. Guess it would take between 150,000 and 200,000 dollars altogether. Still a long way ta go. Maybe we'll never get there." Daryl shrugged. _

"_Why don't you get a loan from the bank?"_

"_Nah, don't wanna owe no bank. Ain't the way I live. I may be piss poor, but at least I don't owe anybody. Want it ta stay that way and if that means I'll never get that house, then that's the way it's s'pposed to be." Daryl explained, to which Gerald simply nodded._

"_When do you want to propose?"_

"_Dunno. Ain't in a rush. It's just something I know I wanna do eventually and I guess tonight was a good a night as any to ask ya. Don't get ta catch ya alone all that much with the women around."_

"_True." Gerald smiled. "Well, I'm glad you did. I sure appreciate it. Teddy will be very happy. Bernie as well."_

"_Don't tell anyone, okay? Don't want the word getting out. Wanna surprise her when I'm ready."_

"_Of course, Daryl. I won't even tell Bernie."_

_###### ######## ######## ######## #######_

**Present Day – Billy's and Maggie's wedding**

Gerald hadn't kept his word. He hadn't told his wife, but he had told Hershel and Merle and now Gerald kept shooting Daryl all these knowing little glances and grins, like he was saying 'This is gonna be you soon. How do you like it?'. It irked him, he was freaked out that anybody would notice and find out that he wanted to propose and somehow let Teddy know. He didn't even have a plan in mind on when he would do it. Could be next week, could be next year, he would do it whenever he felt like it was the right moment. As soon as someone would tell Teddy that he was going to propose, she would expect it and he would feel pressured to do it sooner rather than later. That was something he wanted to avoid. He knew he wanted to do it, but he wanted to do it in his own time.

Thankfully Teddy was way too tipsy to notice her father's looks herself. After she had to witness her father grabbing her mother's ass on the dance floor, she had downed that champagne like a champ to blend out the traumatizing image. Now Daryl found out that alcohol seemed to have a similar effect on Teddy, as it had on her father. The more alcohol she had, the more affectionate and talkative she became. At first it was cute, she was kissing on him and telling him how much she loved him over and over, but now she was getting frisky and it made him uncomfortable, because her sneaky hands were inching closer to areas that were better left untouched in public.

His hand clamped down on her wrist when she slid her hand up his inner thigh, stopping her just when her fingertips brushed against his dick.

"Stop." he told her firmly and stared hard into her eyes, showing her that he wasn't joking around.

"Why?" she breathed into his ear and licked along the outer shell. "I want your cock in my mouth so bad right now. I wish I could get on my knees in front of you and lick and kiss your gorgeous dick. I wanna feel the weight of it against my tongue,... feel it throb and spasm when you cum in my mouth, baby."

Daryl released a shuddering breath and shifted slightly on his chair, when his dick started twitching in his dress pants. She was trying to kill him, but there was no way he would let her play that game with people around, who watched them and who would be able to listen in on what she was saying.

"I ain't kiddin' around, girl. Stop it." he growled and tightened his grip on her wrist when she struggled against it.

"Hey, why don't you two lovebirds check out the horses up in them stables? Seems like yer girl could use some fresh air." Merle winked at his younger brother, having witnessed the exchange between them.

"Uuuhh, that's a great idea." Teddy grinned and pushed her chair back to get up. "Come on, honey. Let's go."

"Ya can thank me later, lil brother." Merle chuckled, pretty sure that his brother was about to get lucky in the hay.

Daryl fixed him with a glare, but about 15 minutes later he silently did thank him, when he and Teddy got busy in the stables. Merle just smirked when Teddy and Daryl got back and Merle removed a piece of hay from Teddy's hair in passing.

"Yer welcome, baby bro."

######## ########## ######### ######### ######## ########

4 weeks after the wedding Teddy's office was full of Robertsons. Maggie was 19 weeks pregnant and it was time to find out the sex of the baby. Teddy had tried two weeks before, but the little munchkin had kept that part of its anatomy hidden from view. Maggie and Billy were going crazy, because everybody kept asking them if they were having a boy or a girl and if they should buy pink or blue things for the baby and each and every time they had to say, that they didn't know yet. They wanted to start buying baby stuff themselves, but not knowing what it would be kept them from doing so. Maggie was more relaxed about it than Billy, she wanted to get clothes in neutral colors, but Billy wanted to buy pink things for a girl and blue for a boy, driving Maggie insane.

Now it wasn't just Maggie and Teddy who were staring at the monitor, Gerald and Billy had joined them and everyone was holding their breaths in anticipation. Suddenly Gerald slapped his hands down on Teddy's shoulders in excitement, making her yelp in shock.

"Do you see it? Teddy, do you see it?" he asked, giddy like a little kid.

"Yes, Dad. I see it."

"What? Can you tell what it is?" Billy asked eagerly, while squeezing Maggie's hand hard.

"Yes, very clearly. Any preferences?" Teddy asked, keeping up the suspense for the parents-to-be.

"No, we don't care as long as it's healthy, now come on. What is it? Boy or girl?" Maggie asked. Teddy grinned and turned the monitor towards them so they could see better and pointed at something on the screen.

"That's a penis. Congratulations, guys. You're having a little boy." Teddy beamed and giggled when she noticed Gerald wiping his eyes.

"A boy? Awesome, that's the best birthday present ever." Billy grinned and kissed Maggie lovingly. "Thank you, babe."

"Hey, you made him, too. Wasn't just me." she smiled. "Can we get a picture? My family is going to be so excited. My dad is going to freak out. Finally another boy in the family."

"It's wonderful. I can't wait. Halfway done. Congratulations you two." Gerald smiled and hugged his son and squeezed Maggie's hand, while Teddy printed out a picture.

"And everything looks just the way it should. He's as healthy as can be and developing just fine. Now you can go and paint the nursery blue and buy blue clothes and toys." Teddy smiled. She felt a tiny pang of sadness bubble up inside of her, when memories of Milo pushed themselves closer to the surface, but she quickly pushed them back down, not letting anyone see, that it affected her a little bit.

She wiped the ultrasound gel off of Maggie's baby bump and handed Billy the picture of his son. "There you go Daddy. Or you know what? Give it back, I'll keep it until tomorrow and put a bow on it, so I'll have a birthday present for you."

"No way, not giving this away." he smiled quietly, while he stared down at the black and white image of his child. "And we never give each other anything, remember? Don't have anything for you."

"I know. I don't have anything for you, either. Now get out of here, you two. I'll see you tomorrow." Teddy hugged Maggie and got a hug from Billy before they left, forcing a smile on her face until they were gone, but the fact was, she suddenly didn't feel like celebrating their 30th birthday anymore.

####### ####### ######## ####### ####### ########

Her birthday started with a bang. Quite literally. She woke up to Daryl's gentle hands and soft lips on her body, slowly coaxing her to her first climax, before he buried himself inside of her to the hilt and made love to her.

"Happy birthday, darlin'. How's it feel ta be an old woman?" he grinned, when they had regained the ability to talk without gasping for air.

"Don't be mean, it's my birthday." she pouted playfully and Daryl couldn't resist kissing that cute pout right off of her face.

"How bout breakfast in bed?" he smiled. "Got something you'll love."

"Really? You can go again already?" she giggled when he swatted her butt lightly.

"Get your mind outta the gutter, woman. I mean food. Glazed donuts, chocolate-covered eclairs. Rosario made muffins with a nutella filling..."

"Oh my God, you are so evil. You know I'm trying to lose those four pounds I gained because of your stupid cooking. Did you get me new clothes a size bigger to go along with that breakfast?"

"Nah, I love how tight yer pants are now. Come on, lighten up. Ya can go back to your precious jogging again tomorrow. Today ya indulge. Already burned some calories just now, didn't we?"

"Yeah, yeah." She sighed and sat up to grab her top from the floor next to the bed.

Daryl frowned, not liking the direction this morning was taking. "Hey, what's up with ya? You been fucking moody since yesterday. Is it 'cause yer brother's moving to the farm tomorrow? You still gon' see him all the time."

"I know. That's not it. I don't know, can't I be moody for once?"

"Not today, ya can't. Ain't gonna let ya ruin your own birthday. Ya love this birthday shit."

"I love the way you woke me up." she grinned and threaded her fingers through his hair to pull him closer.

"So did I, but we can't be doin' that all day. Got plans, remember?"

"Can't we blow those off? I wanna spend the day just with you and Roxy." she gave him her puppy dog eyes and while he usually gave in whenever she did that, today he couldn't do that for her.

"We can't. Yer parents and yer brother wanna celebrate with you. We can go out to the woods during the day, but we gotta go to dinner and the party after. Okay?"

"Fine." He kissed her, wondering what was up with her. His happy mood was ebbing off, because she wasn't happy and now he didn't feel like partying much, either. He only hoped she would be excited about the present he got her. He'd given up hope on ever finding the right thing until she had mentioned something she would want, a couple of weeks ago.

He left to get everything from the kitchen, it took him several trips to bring all the things in he'd gotten for her and when he last, but not least came in with a huge box, Teddy's eyes widened in shock.

"Please don't tell me there's even more food in there!"

"Nonsense." he smiled and put the big box on her lap. "That's your present. I know it ain't like anything ya did for my birthday, bu-"

"Stop." she cut him off with a finger to his lips. "This isn't a competition. I'll love it, I'm sure."

"Open it." he urged her and chewed his lip nervously while she practically tore the box apart.

"No way. Oh my God, Daryl! Seriously?" the first big smile of the day finally found its way to her face, when she pulled the compound bow out of the now shredded cardboard box. "My own bow?"

"Ya like it?" he was relieved when he saw her happy smile, pretty sure that he had done right.

"Absolutely. I love it. It's beautiful and so cool." She sat up on her knees and enveloped him in a big hug and kissed him happily. "Thank you, thank you, thank you. It's awesome. I really wanted one."

"Now you can shoot stuff, too, when we're in the woods. You've become a pretty good shot, maybe you'll bag yerself some squirrel after some target practice."

"Totally. Wow, I'm so excited. I can't wait to get out there. Come on, let's eat, I wanna try this out!" she was giddy, infecting Daryl with her smile and he was relieved. Teddy was happy. Everything was right with the world again.

Two hours later Daryl and his two girls were in the woods outside of Jasper and after adjusting the arrow rest and the sight for her, Daryl watched Teddy do some target practice with her new bow. He'd never seen a sexier sight than her shooting that compound bow and sinking arrow after arrow into the tree bark. He had picked the perfect one with just the right draw weight for her to be able to pull back and hold with ease while she took her time to aim. It gave him a great opportunity to let his eyes roam her curves, that had filled out a little bit in the past two months. Life had gotten quieter after the whole Sandra disaster and less stress had Teddy finding back her appetite. She'd skipped jogging in the mornings, preferring staying cuddled up with Daryl in bed for one more hour before she got ready for work. It was barely noticeable if you didn't know her body like Daryl did, but she loved her tight clothes and of course those tight clothes were unforgiving about the weight change, no matter how little she had gained, and it made her freak out a bit. She rode her bicycle to work now and had started jogging again in the mornings. So far only twice a week, but she had vowed to do it at least 4 times. He thought it was silly, he'd told her, too, but she didn't want to hear it. She had to do her thing to feel good inside her own skin and he couldn't argue with that. He didn't want her to suddenly be shy about being naked or shit like that, so he left her be. He was still the luckiest damn bastard in the world to have found a girl that loved her pretty clothes and manicures just as much as she loved going out to the woods to hunt or just hang out with him.

After 15 minutes she took a break and shook out her arms, before she slung them around his neck and kissed him lovingly. "Best present ever. I love it so much, it's so much fun to shoot that thing. I feel like a badass."

"Ya look like one, too." he grinned. "Now we just gotta get ya a nice tattoo of ma name, put ya in some of 'em sexy little Real Tree Camo outfits, and I'll bang ya half ta death."

"You know what? If we blow off the party, we could do all of that tonight." she tried to convince him again and snaked her hands underneath the black denim fabric of his black sweater to rake her nails down his chest.

"Why ya wanna blow off that party so bad?" he asked, while he gently removed her hands from underneath his sweater. Roxy was already getting between them, too, still getting a little jealous when Daryl and Teddy got too close and ignored her.

"I don't feel like having so many people around. I would prefer to just have a quiet evening, just the two of us. Three, including Roxy." she sighed and took a step back while petting their dog's head.

"It ain't just a birthday party, it's kind of a goodbye party for yer brother, too. He's saying goodbye to his bachelor pad and to the town."

"He is still coming here every day to work, Daryl. It's not like he is emigrating." Teddy argued.

"We're going. Just for an hour and if ya still wanna leave, we'll leave. Good Lord, since when are you such a hermit?"

"It's the middle of October, it's my lazy time of the year."

"Sure it's not yer time of the month?" he said without thinking and watched her mouth drop open.

"You did not just say that! You saying I'm being a bitch?"

Daryl winced internally, mentally slapping himself upside the head. "No, that ain't what I meant. Was just joking around. Wasn't a good joke, sorry."

"No it wasn't. You know I had it last week, so it really wasn't a good joke. I'm just not in a super good mood, why is that such a problem? Everyone gets like that at some point, it's not a big deal. Just stop asking about it, alright? It's not helping."

"Alright, fine. I won't ask. Go and shoot some more, maybe that'll help." he grumbled, not understanding what in the world had crawled up her ass and died.

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Her mood only darkened during birthday dinner with her parents. The only topic of conversation was their new grandson who was currently growing inside of Maggie. Daryl looked at Teddy in surprise.

"You didn't tell me that ya found out they were havin' a boy. I assumed ya couldn't tell again, like before."

"Must have slipped my mind." Teddy shrugged casually and Daryl was about to chew her out for her behavior, when his observant gaze noticed her rubbing the tattoo on her wrist unconsciously. Suddenly all the pieces of the puzzle fit together in his mind. The whole thing had to bring up memories for her. Probably some painful ones. That's why she wanted to skip the whole celebration and be alone with him, because everybody would be talking about the baby boy. He pushed down his own feelings of discomfort at engaging in PDA in front of her family and grasped her chin in his hand and pulled her face towards his own, giving her a big and loving kiss. That was such a rare sight to all of them, that they all stopped in mid-sentence for a second and looked at them, the women were barely able to keep in their "aaaaaawwww" and the men quickly picked the conversation back up, before one of them slipped up.

"I'm here for ya if ya need ta talk, girl. It's gon' be alright. We can deal with this. He's gonna be a part of our lives, too." Daryl whispered against her lips before he kissed her again and then leaned his forehead against hers and looked into her eyes.

Teddy's eyes watered, she was once again overwhelmed by her love for Daryl and she was in awe of how he was always able to figure out what was going on with her and find the right words when she needed to hear them.

"I know. I'll be fine. Didn't think I would feel this sad, but I guess I do need some time to adjust and get used to another little boy coming into this family. I'm happy for them, I truly am, it's just so many memories coming up right now."she whispered back, not wanting the others to hear about her struggling a little with the news. She had assured Billy and Maggie that they wouldn't have to worry about her feelings in all of this and she had truly believed she would be fine, but apparently her brain had some other ideas right now. She just needed some time to get through all the memories that were playing in front of her inner eye like a movie. How she had found out that she was having a boy, how she had bought those first things, how she had put the nursery together, how she had had a baby shower...

"Maybe ya should refer Maggie to another doctor?" Daryl suggested.

"No. I want to do this for her. I think it will be good for me, too. I just need to work through this, just like I had to back then in therapy. That's all. I just need some time."

"Okay." Daryl nodded and kissed her once more. His hopes of ever having a child with her were sinking, though. If she was freaking out over Maggie and Billy having a baby boy, she probably wouldn't be able to handle if she had another one herself.

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Thank God the day after Teddy's and Billy's birthday was a Sunday or Teddy wouldn't have been able to go to work. She had the hangovers of all hangovers. Despite Daryl continuously telling her to take it easy, she had bonded quick and hard with a bottle of whiskey. She had already thrown up and Daryl had forced her to eat a nice and greasy breakfast, so she would start to feel better and after she had a full belly, he'd given her painkillers for her head and had drawn a bath for the both of them.

Teddy was sitting between Daryl's legs in the heavenly and comfortingly hot water, hugging her knees and resting her cheek on top of them, while Daryl expertly massaged her neck and shoulders. She moaned and groaned while he worked the kinks out of her stiff muscles with his thumbs, reveling in the feeling of her headache slowly vanishing into thin air.

"Never thought the cliché was true, but mechanics really are very good with their hands." she murmured, while Daryl moved his thumbs to the strings of muscles left and right to her spine.

"Should'a listened to me, woman. Ya wouldn't feel this shitty if ya had." he said quietly and dug his thumbs into a particularly hard knot, making her wince while he tried to get it to loosen up a bit.

"I know, but sometimes a girl just needs to get drunk to forget about stuff. Just couldn't stand to listen to all those people gushing about the baby any longer."

"Wanna talk to me 'bout it?"

"It hurts more than I thought it would. I've been through therapy, I was able to deal with the memories, I was able to talk about him and look at pictures without bursting into tears. I really thought I would be okay with this, but somehow it's different now. It's not just memories now, he's gonna be a real little person and I guess it makes it all more real again and I'm scared for them, that something is gonna go wrong and that they will have to go through the same thing I did."

"Ya said it wasn't likely, though."

"Yes, that's right, it's not likely, but it's not impossible either, Daryl."

Daryl didn't say anything, but he stopped massaging her back and just gently stroked his warm hands over the soft skin of her back. He took a deep breath, trying to ease the sadness that was spreading through his body, when he realized that what he had feared would happen, was coming true.

"We ain't ever gonna have kids. Are we?" he asked quietly, already knowing the answer.

"I don't think so, baby. I'm sorry, but I don't think I can do it." she felt like shit, but she knew that it was his one dream she wouldn't be able to make come true for him.

"It's okay." Daryl pulled her back against his chest and tilted her face up to kiss her. "I mean it. I ain't gonna lie, I'm disappointed, but it's gon' be okay. I wouldn't want ya ta be like this for the whole pregnancy or maybe even for years to come. We can be happy without havin' kids. We got our girl and we'll get a cat for you and they'll just be our kids."

"I'm scared that you'll hate me one day for not giving you what you want." she told him while she brushed some hair out of his eyes, wanting to be able to see them fully while they had this talk. His eyes always showed how he really felt.

"Could never hate ya. I mean it when I say that ya mean everythin' to me. You're the most important person in ma life. I'll be happy as long as I have you around. You're all I need. Kids would have been a bonus, but in the end, YOU are all I need. Trust me on that, okay?"

"Okay." she sighed into the kiss she got, her heart starting to feel a bit lighter, because she knew he wouldn't lie to her about things like that. Still, a little bit of worry remained, because Teddy knew better than anyone, that sometimes, you couldn't help how you felt. He could promise her to never hate her, but in the end, he still might feel resentment towards her anyway.

"What do you wanna do today?" Daryl asked to change the topic.

"Absolutely nothing. I wish we could go back to the woods, do some more target practice, but I don't think my body is ready for that today." she sighed and closed her eyes when she snuggled herself more comfortably into his chest. Suddenly her eyes popped back open and she smiled. "I have an idea. Have you ever planned your house?"

"Planned ma house?" he asked, not sure what exactly she meant by that.

"Yeah, like how many rooms you wanna have and what you want them to look like, what kind of kitchen you want, what kind of garden, all that stuff." she explained, her bubbly demeanor returning, because she was getting excited by her own idea.

"No, always figured it would be a one-bedroom-cabin or something. I knew I was gonna make it bigger, now that we'd both live there, but I never spent time thinking about the details."

"We should do that today. It's fun, let's just make a list of things we'd both want the house to have. Yeah?" she was giving him her big happy smile and he couldn't ever say no to that. Also, he had to admit that it did sound like fun to imagine what it could all look like.

"Fine, let's do it. But we gotta get out of here first. Sit up." he gently pushed her from his body, so he could get out of the tub. He grabbed a towel and slung it around his hips, before he held another one out for her, wrapping it around her body, when she had gotten out of the bath as well.

Half an hour later they were cuddled up on the couch and Teddy was writing down things on a notepad. They agreed on a fire place in the living room and Teddy wanted a second one in the bedroom, thinking it would be nice if they would be able to make love in their own bed in front of the fireplace. Daryl wasn't able to argue with that explanation. They wanted a big kitchen with a breakfast bar and a separate dining room. Teddy wanted a bathroom with a bathtub that was also a jacuzzi. Daryl didn't think they'd ever have the money to splurge on luxuries like that, but it was a nice fantasy.

"You know what? I think we should plan for worst case scenarios, too. You like being self-sufficient, don't you? Why don't we plan for solar panels on the roof and instead of a regular basement, we could kind of turn it into a concrete shelter? Make it big enough to hide out in for a couple of days and have a nice stock of food down there as well? We can grow things in the garden and can it and store it and when the next tornado comes around, we'd be safe down there." Teddy was talking animatedly, already writing it down on the list.

"Sounds like a good idea, babe, but we both work full time and we're busy a lot. Who'd have time to tend to that garden all the time? And can all that food? You ain't good at kitchen stuff. I'd have ta do it all and then we'd never ever spend time together no more, 'cept when we're asleep."

"Yeah true, but this is our fantasy house, right? In our fantasy we could do it all and still spend tons of time together." she giggled and poked him in the ribs with her pen, when he rolled his eyes. "I'm kidding. Guess it wouldn't work, but we could buy stuff and stock it in the basement, how about that?"

"Sounds more like it. Solar panels is a good idea, though. Should definitely look into that."

"And I need a little office. Uh, a combined office/library/reading room, yeah, definitely want that." Teddy scribbled it down, smirking when she heard Daryl scoff.

"You're gon' make me build a damn mansion, aren't ya?"

"Oh come on, it's not that bad. This would be our home for the rest of our lives, Daryl. Gotta make it just right."

"Yeah, s'ppose yer right." he agreed, but deep down he knew they'd never get the money to make it that big and get everything they wanted.

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Monday morning Teddy was feeling good again and got up at 5 am to go jogging before work. Daryl groaned when she wriggled out of his grasp and pouted.

"Stay. C'mon, ya don't gotta do this. We can stay in here for another hour."

"Tomorrow, I promise, but today I am already up and motivated to go. Just go back to sleep, baby." She kissed him and quickly got dressed in her jogging attire and greeted Roxy, before putting the harness on her. Her morning jog would serve as Roxy's morning walk, giving Daryl even more time to stay in bed. "Be back in an hour." she kissed him again and then took off with their dog by her side.

Daryl just grunted his reply while he turned over in bed, trying to get comfortable without her there, a task that always seemed sheer impossible. This morning turned out to be no different, so after five minutes of tossing and turning he got out of bed and trudged into the bathroom to take his shower.

Twenty minutes later he was dressed for work and making coffee, when he heard a weirdly familiar noise. He wasn't able to place it at first, didn't even know where exactly it came from, but when it hadn't stopped after a couple of minutes, he listened more closely and went to the kitchen window to investigate. He wasn't able to see anything, the window was at the side of the building and not facing the front, but he could definitely tell, that the noise came from outside and from the front of the building. He opened the window and poked his head out to be able to listen better and that's when he realized how he knew the noise. He quickly grabbed his keys, left the apartment and jogged towards the front door of the building. He tore it open and his blood ran cold when Roxy bumped into him, whining frantically and now that she saw her Daddy, she was getting even louder.

Daryl felt himself shaking when he reached out with unsteady hands and put them on Roxy's head, panic rising inside of him, when he looked out into the street, but didn't see a sign of Teddy being near.

"Roxy? Where's momma?"

Roxy tore out of his grasp and ran toward the street before turning around and running a couple of steps towards him again, whimpering and barking all the while and Daryl didn't waste any time and started running with her, letting Roxy guide him. Fear was gripping him and he hoped to God that Roxy had just been a bad dog and torn herself loose from Teddy and had run home. She had to come running towards them any minute, he kept thinking, she just had to. Anything else was just unimaginable.

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**AN: Thank you so much for reading and your support.**

**I am still fighting with a stupid eye infection, so my update speed might suffer for a bit longer. I'm so sorry about that, but I hope to be back to my usual update speed soon.  
**

**Oh and if you are wondering after the house planning bit: No, it won't lead into the apocalypse. **

**Dear reviewers, I've been neglecting you, I know, I am very very sorry, but I am half blind these days and don't spend much time online. Apologies.**

**Big hugs to all of you:**

**DarylDixon'sLover**

**LilShorty0594**

**ReidsGirl**

**wabi-sabi1090**

**mamareadstomuch2**

**snowbird**

**missy7293**

**MonkeysGoBoo**

**An Amber Pen**


	24. Chapter 24

"TEDDY? TEDDY!"

Teddy moaned when she heard her name being called in the distance, waking her, but she was barely able to open her eyes, something kept pulling her back towards the blissful darkness.

"Daryl? Did you hog the blanket again? I'm so cold." in her mind she was saying the words perfectly clear, but in reality they were slurred and mumbled and Daryl, in his panicked frenzy, had a hard time registering what she was saying. His hands were hovering over her body helplessly, he was too afraid to touch and maybe hurt her. Did she say she was cold? Yes, she's shaking, that's what she must have said then. Daryl quickly unbuttoned his long-sleeved flannel and tore it off his body, to cover Teddy's. The shirt wouldn't offer much warmth, but it was something. Daryl shivered when he was hit with the cold. It was the end of October and six o'clock in the morning, it was pretty much freezing out. He didn't care about himself, though, his love was injured and freezing.

"Darlin', are you hurtin'? Are you in pain?" If he had been in less of a panic he would have known that it was a stupid question, but he was out of his mind with worry in that moment. She was laying on her side and her right arm was bent behind her at an unnatural angle. She was bleeding from her forehead, too. He wanted to roll her on her back and gather her into his arms, but he knew he might do even more damage if he did that.

Teddy groaned when she tried to move, her eyes screwing shut tightly when a wave of pain rolled through her head.

"Did I fall out of bed? I'm hurting all over..." she trailed off, letting the darkness pull her in only too gladly.

'Phone,... phone... phone...' Daryl kept thinking while he patted down his pants pockets, but of course he hadn't taken his phone with him, when he had rushed to the front of the building. He carefully patted down Teddy's pockets, trying to find hers.

'Please don't be broken, please don't be broken...' he chanted over and over in his head, when he felt her cell phone in the pocket of her hoodie and pulled it out. The display was smashed, but when he called 911 thankfully the call still went through. He forced himself to remain as calm as possible and tried to answer the operator's questions as best as he could with his brain being in a big jumble.

"Stay with me, babe. Don't fall asleep. Are ya warmer now?" Daryl tried to keep her conscious, fighting the urge to touch her and hold her in his arms. Roxy kept whimpering and restlessly pacing next to where Teddy was laying on the leaf-covered ground.

"Still cold. AC too high." Teddy muttered, wishing he would pick her up and lift her up into bed and into his warm arms.

Daryl's teeth started chattering, the cold finally getting to him. The wife beater he had worn underneath the shirt clung to his back uncomfortably. He'd been sweating while he'd run behind Roxy to find Teddy and now the fabric was wet and ice-cold and sticking to his skin.

"Will get better soon, girl, just hang on. Roxy, stay with momma. You're such a good girl. Such a damn good girl, yer gon' get a big ass steak tonight. You did good. Stay with momma now, okay? I gotta go up to the road and wait for the ambulance." He kissed Roxy's head and bent over Teddy, wanting to kiss her as well, but stopping himself once more. "I'll be right back, Teddy. Don't you fall asleep, girl. Roxy is with ya, alright? I'll be right back."

He reluctantly tore himself away from her and ran back up the little hill she had tumbled down, looking back every couple of steps to reassure himself that she was still there and still breathing. He felt so helpless, he wanted to scream. Usually he was pretty good at staying calm and being able to think clearly in situations like this, but this was Teddy. He was always scared of losing her and this was a shock to his system, that he could lose her just by her going freaking jogging.

He was relieved when he heard sirens nearing and when he finally saw them, he jumped into the street and waved his arms around to draw their attention. The next couple of minutes were a blur, he just stared at Teddy's pale face the whole time while the paramedics tended to her. He got his shirt back, but it didn't do anything to ease the icy cold inside his body. When Teddy whimpered in pain, when her arm was moved, it felt like his heart got yanked out of his chest. He faintly heard the men say something about a concussion and a dislocated shoulder and that they were going to take her to the hospital now. Daryl wanted to ride with them, but he couldn't, because of Roxy. He knew putting up a fight would only waste time, so when the ambulance took off with Teddy, he ran back home with Roxy as fast as he could. He took her into the apartment, quickly grabbing his own phone from the dresser, finally being able to think a bit more clearly. He called Bernadette and Gerald to inform them about Teddy being transported to the hospital right now, and Bernadette promised to come to the hospital right away.

Bernadette and Daryl arrived on the parking lot of the hospital pretty much simultaneously. He just got out of his truck, when he saw Bernadette rushing towards him.

"Oh my God, Daryl, is she gonna be okay? How did this happen? Did she get hit by a car?"

"Dunno. She was completely out of it, she thought she was still at home in bed. I think she's got a concussion, and her arm is all fucked up."

"You weren't with her? How did you know she was out there?" Bernadette was confused, Daryl had only told her that Teddy had an accident while being out for a run, and that she was on the way to the hospital.

"Roxy came running back to get me. Thank God she took her with her for the run. She led me to her. She was at the bottom of a hill off of Burnt Mountain Road. I don't know if she got hit by a car or if she just took a fall, I don't know." Daryl felt tears stinging his eyes, he just wanted to get to Teddy and hear from a doctor that she was gonna be alright, instead of answering Bernadette's questions.

"Let's find out. Thank God for Roxy. That sweet little girl is gonna get the biggest treat of her young life." Teddy's mother said under her breath while she and Daryl walked into the hospital to find Teddy and find out how she was doing.

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A concussion, a dislocated shoulder, bruised ribs and a couple of bumps and bruises, that's what the doctor told them after an eternity of waiting. There was no internal bleeding, no broken bones and her brain was doing fine as well. If someone would be able to constantly watch her for the next 24 to 48 hours, they were allowed to take her home.

Daryl was more than a little relieved when Teddy was wheeled towards them, and he saw her smiling tiredly at them. Her shoulder had been reset and her right arm was tucked against her body and wrapped up tightly to immobilize it. She was supposed to rest for a week and should be feeling better by then. The shoulder would probably take a week or two longer to feel better. Daryl leaned down and kissed her, not caring about people watching in that moment. He didn't say anything, he just looked at her, studying her for a moment and brushing his thumb over her cheek before he straightened and took her uninjured hand in his while the nurse wheeled her towards the exit.

"Oh honey, you gave us quite the scare. I'm so glad you are alright. What happened?" Bernadette asked her, but Teddy didn't have an answer for her.

"I don't know, Mom. I don't remember. All I remember is running one minute and waking up in the hospital the next."

"Is that normal, that she don't remember?" Daryl frowned at the nurse, who was pushing the wheelchair.

"Yes, that's quite common, don't worry." she smiled reassuringly at him, putting him at ease a little.

When they reached the exit and Teddy got out of the wheelchair with slightly wobbly legs, Daryl didn't waste any time to do what he'd wanted to do for hours: he quickly lifted her into his arms bridal style and carried her towards his truck.

"Baby, I'm not an invalid, I can walk." Teddy smiled, but Daryl ignored her statement.

"For God's sakes, let the man carry you, Theodora. Be glad that you have a man, who actually wants to do that." Bernadette told her daughter, thinking that Teddy should have said thank you instead of 'I can walk'.

"Yes, mother." Teddy sighed, wishing she would black out again. Her mother really knew how to make a person feel better.

They reached the truck and Bernadette opened the door so Daryl could deposit Teddy in the passenger side seat. Daryl carefully secured the seat belt around her, before closing the door.

"Alright. You heard what the doctor said, keep a close eye on her. I'll be over tomorrow morning and stay with her while you're at work. I'll go see Gerald now and tell him what's going on." Bernadette rattled off, while she handed Daryl back his car keys.

"Okay, thanks. See ya tomorrow then." Bernadette hugged him, having been tempted to do so all morning, the poor man had been shaking at one point, he'd been so worried. "Don't worry, she will be alright. And if anything happens you call and we'll be there in five minutes."

"I will." Daryl gave her a forced little smile and then rushed over to the driver's side, anxious to finally take Teddy home and tuck her into bed and watch her like a hawk.

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"Ya really don't remember what happened?" Daryl and Teddy were in their bedroom half an hour later, where she was resting comfortably in their bed with Daryl laying next to her on his side, burrowing his hand underneath the blanket to let his fingers stroke along her uninjured arm.

"No. It's like I said, one moment I was jogging, the next I woke up with the mother of all headaches in the hospital."

"Ya don't remember how I found ya neither? You were conscious then."

"No, I don't remember, baby."

"Did ya slip? Someone push ya? It was no car, the doctor said you'd be hurt worse." Daryl couldn't stop thinking about what might have happened. He hated not knowing for sure. If someone was walking around town attacking women, he would never let her out of his sight again. Hell, he would probably never let her out of his sight again not matter what. Thank God she had Roxy with her. If she hadn't come to get Daryl, it might have taken hours for him to find her and she might have died from hypothermia or something.

"I don't know, Daryl. I wish I could tell you what happened, but I literally can't."

"Scared the shit outta me, woman. Seeing you laying there, bleedin' and with yer arm bent like that... Ya were really out of it, I was scared ya had brain damage or something. That ya wouldn't remember me or anythin' else."

"I'm fine, honey. I feel like shit, but I'll be fine. That will probably change tomorrow, though. What the hell am I supposed to do? I am not allowed to watch TV or be on the laptop or read and my mother is going to be here for about 9 hours. I cannot listen to her talk for 9 hours, Daryl. I might jump out the window." Teddy whined, wishing she would have someone else around to watch over her.

"Sorry, darlin'. I can't stay with ya, you know that. Mike is cool, but not THAT cool and I can't afford to lose pay or ma job."

"I know, honey. I wouldn't want you to risk you job for me. I'll survive. Don't know how yet, but I'll think of something." Teddy sighed deeply. She thought about taking a sleeping pill and knock herself out that way for the majority of the day. Or she should just pretend to sleep, anything to get her mother off her back.

"Whoa, what are you doing?" Daryl shot up into a sitting position, when he noticed Teddy squirming her way out of bed.

"I have to go to the bathroom."

"Hold on." Daryl got out of bed and walked over to her side, lifting a protesting Teddy back into his arms.

"No. Daryl, let me down. Come on, you know I love when you carry me, but you can't do it all the time now. My legs work just fine."

"Don't care. I'mma do this. Ain't no way I'm gon' let ya walk around by yourself today." He carried her to the bathroom and sat her down on her feet in front of the toilet. "You're gonna need help anyway or do ya think you'll be able to get yer pants down and back up properly with one hand taped to your body?"

Teddy's eyes widened when she realized, that he was right. "Oh great. You're gonna have to pull my pants up like I'm a little kid. Awesome, that's not embarrassing at all."

"It ain't. Don't be a baby. I undress ya pretty much every day."

"That's different. Remind me to put on a skirt and no underwear tomorrow."

"We gonna do this now or we gonna keep talking until ya pee yer pants?" Daryl was growing impatient. Finally she really needed him and he would be able to take care of her outside of their bedroom activities, and she was hating it and fighting him on it.

"Yeah, fine." she muttered grumpily and pushed down the left side of her pants and panties with her good hand, while Daryl took care of the other side.

"What are you waiting for?" She asked when he didn't leave.

"What do ya think I'm waiting for? Come on, go ahead and get it over with so I can get ya back in bed."

"Out!"

"Woman, what's the big deal? I'm taking a piss all the time when you're in here."

"Out!"

"Ain't leavin' ya out of my sight today."

"DARYL!"

"Fine. Rotten woman. Such a baby." he muttered under his breath while he walked out of the bathroom, closing the door a little louder than he'd really have to. A sigh of relief rushed out of Teddy's lungs, glad to have a moment to herself. She felt like shit and she wanted to cry. Arguing with Daryl was the last thing she needed right now, but she still had her limits and being on the toilet in front of him was one of the things she would never want to do.

She finished her business and pulled up her pants as far as she got. Even though she was tempted to just walk out instead of calling for Daryl and have him carry her again, she didn't want to start up another argument, so she let him do for her what he wanted to. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that he must have been worried sick. She knew she would have been if the roles had been reversed. She would carry him everywhere too, if she'd be physically able to. She no longer argued with anything and let him pamper her and after a couple of hours she even thought of it as really cute how he was running around and kept fluffing her pillow and kept bringing her cold beverages and little snacks. For the most part he just kept her company. She wasn't allowed to watch or read anything, so talking or sleeping was the only option to entertain herself.

"I wish we wouldn't have planned our dream house yesterday. That would have been a great activity for today." Teddy said, after she woke up from a nap later that afternoon.

"Yeah, true." Daryl agreed and tried to come up with something they could do. "Ya know what? Yer gon' be home for about two weeks. Maybe when your head feels better, we should go to the shelter and get a cat for ya. That way he or she can settle in and get used to ya for a week."

"I like the way you think." Teddy smiled, liking the idea very much. "Uh, let's plan what we need to get for the kitty."

"Alright, I'm gonna get a pen and paper. Want some more 7Up?"

"Yes. Please." Daryl gave her a little peck on the lips before he went to the kitchen to get the items and when he came back he sat cross-legged next to her and put the notepad on his lap. "Okay, shoot."

"A couple of bowls for food and water."

"Got it. Litter box." Daryl wrote down Teddy's items and added his own suggestion.

"Right. Two or three beds. And a scratching post or maybe two."

"Some toys?"

"Yeah, although when I had a cat a couple of years ago, she loved playing with stuff like drinking straws. I made a knot in the middle or I'd knot together a couple of them and make a little star out of it and she loved chasing that around. The same with balls made out of aluminum foil. But I guess it won't hurt to get some toys from the pet store anyway."

"Ya had a cat?"

"Yeah. Didn't I tell you?"

"Nah. Just said ya might wanna get one."

"Hm. Anyway. I think that's it. Of course we need food and treats, but I guess the people at the shelter will tell us what he or she likes when we get him or her. No need to buy it now. We can just use a can of tuna at first."

"Sounds good." Daryl said and sighed when they were done with their list in under five minutes. "Well, that didn't take long."

"No it didn't." Teddy laughed, but winced when she did it. The effect of the pain killers were ebbing off and she was starting to feel her injuries more and more.

"I hope my dad will be here soon with some good meds."

Daryl put the notepad on his night stand and laid back down on his side next to her. He gently stroked his fingers over her cheek. "Pain getting' worse?"

"Yeah, painkillers aren't working anymore."

"It's five pm already. I'm sure he'll be here soon. Shit, girl. I hate seein' ya like this. Tears ma heart out."

"I know. Would be the same for me if you'd be the injured one. You're probably suffering more than I am, aren't you?" She smiled and lifted her good hand to push some hair out of his eyes.

"Ain't gonna lie, I'm gonna have nightmares 'bout today. Won't ever forget the sight of you layin' there. Fucking awful, couldn't think straight."

"I'm sorry for worrying you."

"Stop. Ya don't have to apologize for anythin'. Just so fucking glad that our girl is so damn smart."

"She did good."

"Hell yeah she did. Gonna get a steak dinner for that. Kinda feel bad that I let yer momma take her, but I didn't wanna leave ya alone for her walks."

"I'm sure she'll forgive you. My parents spoil her rotten every time she's there. Don't worry about a thing." Teddy smiled and let her hand wander to the back of his neck to pull him closer for a kiss. She wished he could hug her properly and that she would be able to snuggle up into his arms, but unfortunately it hurt her too much. She'd have to seek comfort from little touches and kisses, which kind of sucked.

######## ####### ####### ####### ####### #######

They barely slept that night, so the next day when her mother watched her, she took a ton of naps, not even needing the sleeping pill. She was barely able to keep her eyes open, when Billy came to visit after work, she just kept dozing off. On the third day she started to feel better and moved around the apartment a bit and no longer stayed in bed all day. Daryl would have liked for her to do that, very much, but she was going stir-crazy from just laying around all day. Loading the dishwasher made her feel at least a little bit useful, but she found that she got exhausted pretty quickly, so she took it easy.

That night, shortly after she had fallen asleep, she woke up from the sound of Daryl coughing repeatedly. He also kept tossing and turning and pulling the covers up to his chin. It didn't take long until she heard his scratchy voice speak up.

"Damn, woman. Did ya crank up the A/C even higher? I can't get fucking warm at all."

"I actually turned it down." She frowned and reached out to touch his forehead. "Oh baby, you're burning up."

"Nah, ain't possible. I'm freezin' ta death over here."

"Yeah, you're definitely running a fever." Teddy said while she turned on the light on her nightstand, before she carefully got up and slowly walked to her office to get her bag. She sat back down in bed and put it next to her. She opened it and got out the ear thermometer . She pushed it into Daryl's ear and had her assumption confirmed when she looked at the display after the second beeping sound. "Oh yeah, we are looking at 103.8, baby. You're sick. With a fever that high you might have the flu. Your throat hurt?"

"Yeah, started around lunch time. Didn't even smoke the rest of the day, 'cause it made me cough like crazy."

"Why didn't you say anything when you came home?"

"Didn't think much of it. Don't get sick that much. Must have happened when I found ya. Took ma shirt off to cover you and I was sweatin' from running." he told her and broke out into a little coughing fit right after.

"I don't think you got it from that. You get the flu from a virus and not from sweating in the cold. Someone at work sick?"

"Wade."

"There you have it. But don't you worry, I'll take good care of you."

"Yer supposed ta rest. I'm s'pposed ta take care of you, remember?" he rasped, but his tone wasn't nearly as forceful as usual.

"We'll take care of each other. That's how it's supposed to be, my love. And I can still rest AND take care of you." She wouldn't say it out loud, but she was kind of excited. She was sorry that he was sick, but now she'd have company, because there was no way he'd be going to work like that for the rest of the week. Teddy got back up and went to the kitchen. When she returned about 15 minutes later she set down a mug on his nightstand.

"What's that?"

"It's sage tea with honey. It's good for the throat and you need to drink plenty of fluids. I'll text my mom and have her bring some of Rosario's chicken soup tomorrow. Want some Advil? Fever in general is good, because it fights off the virus, but I think it would be better if you'd stop tossing and turning and would get some rest instead, hm?"

"You're the doc. Whatever ya say." he groaned while he sat up. His whole body ached, he felt like he never ever wanted to move again.

"Okay, I'll get some." she went to the medicine cabinet in the bathroom and got some Advil and a cough suppressant for him. She always kept her medicine cabinet well stocked and had all kinds of cold meds and remedies around to ease the symptoms. Daryl was in luck there. He took the Advil and drank his tea. He wanted to scold her for moving around so much, but he found that he couldn't. He was damn grateful for that tea. It made is dry and achy throat feel better and the hot liquid felt weirdly soothing. After he had emptied the whole mug he took the cough depressant and laid back down. He still had to cough a little over the course of the night, but at least he got a couple of hours of sleep after the Advil had kicked in.

###### ####### ###### ####### ####### ##### ######

"Oh look at my sick babies. Oh my little angels, you're so precious."

Bernadette was WAY too happy, when she entered Daryl's and Teddy's bedroom the next morning. She had read Teddy's message early in the morning and had brought everything they'd need. She had let herself in, figuring that neither of them felt well enough to open the door for her. The sight of the two disheveled, sleepy and grumpy adults was just adorable.

"Why is she yelling?" Daryl grumbled and turned on his stomach, hiding his face in his pillow.

"Mom, don't think we don't appreciate you helping us out, but we both have headaches. Please, a liiiittle quieter?" Teddy instinctively reached out and threaded her fingers through Daryl's hair to comfort him, while Bernadette smiled sheepishly.

"I'm sorry, dear. I forgot. It is a little exciting to have you both sick. It's like when you and Billy used to have a cold and would both be cuddled up in bed together watching cartoons and letting me pamper you."

"Yeah, you were good at that." Teddy smiled. It was the times when she and Billy got sick, that Bernadette took time out of her busy schedule to tend to her twins instead of letting the nanny handle it.

"Alright. I'll make some fruit juice popsicles for Daryl and his sore throat and then I'll make you some breakfast."

"I'll help you." Teddy said and moved to get out of bed, but Bernadette quickly protested.

"Nonsense. You two stay in here and rest. Let me do it, it's what I'm here for."

"Alright. Thanks, Mom." Teddy gave her mother a grateful smile, before turning her attention back to her boyfriend. "How are you doing, sweetheart?"

"Ain't never felt this shitty all ma life." came the mumbled reply from the depths of his pillow.

"Body still achy?"

"Yup."

"Throat still hurt?"

"Yup. And my nose feels funny. On the inside, all the way back, kinda."

"Yeah, thought that would happen. Grab the thermometer and take your temperature, okay?"

Daryl rolled over with a groan and looked at his nightstand, but the thermometer wasn't there. "Ain't here."

"No it's over here on my side."

"That's so fucking far. Can't ya just touch ma forehead and guess?" he complained, making Teddy sputter out a laugh and she slapped his ass lightly, when he got on all fours and slowly crawled halfway over her to get the thermometer.

"Hey, watch it. Ya don't hurt the sick."

"Come on, I barely touched you." she giggled and watched him with a very amused expression when he tried to take his own temperature. He pushed the button and just two seconds later the thermometer beeped and displayed an error message. He kept doing it over and over until he kept repeatedly pushing the button in anger. "Stupid fucking thing. Ain't workin'."

Teddy gently pried it out of his hands and smirked. "Here, you press it into your ear and THEN you push the button. It's down to 101.7, but from experience it will probably go back up over the course of the day."

"Awesome. How are you doing? Pain any better?" his mood softened a little and he turned on his side and scooted a little closer, putting his hand low on her belly so he wouldn't accidentally touch her bruised ribs. Teddy's fingers immediately sought out his hair again and played with it gently, making his eyes droop again.

"Yeah, still have a headache, but I'll take something for it after breakfast. Should help my shoulder, too. Feels pretty sore, but that's to be expected I guess."

"Yeah. Yer momma gonna stay the whole week?"

"Kind of, but she'll probably be in the kitchen all day to make us some nice treats. She is a really good nurse where this cold and flu stuff is concerned. She makes these Popsicles out of fruit juice, you're gonna love them, they are so good for your throat and at the same time they keep you hydrated."

"What's she makin' now? I don't think I can eat anythin'."

"You have to eat, honey. I know it sucks, but you'll feel better after you've eaten. Mom makes stuff that will help you. Trust me, you'll feel a lot better by tomorrow night."

"Yeah. And if I don't ya have permission ta shoot me."

"Hm, might do more damage. My aim is a little off right now, remember?" Teddy smiled and gently scratched his scalp. Once again she hated that she couldn't hug him properly.

"And here we go, turkey sandwich and some fruit for my sick and injured angels." Bernadette carried in a tray loaded with plates, bowls and mugs and a big thermos. "That's your tea, you have to drink a lot of it. But don't worry, you can have juice and water as well. I know you probably don't feel like eating, but please do, your body needs it. Teddy, here's your coffee and a pill for your headache."

"Thanks Mom, that's great. Aren't you gonna eat with us?"

"No, I'm going to head out and get everything for the chicken soup. Rosario is a miracle worker, but she is not a God. She didn't have time to shop for the ingredients and make the soup, so I will do it myself. I will be back before you know it. You two just eat and drink up."

She left and after about five minutes of coaxing from Teddy, Daryl forced himself to sit up. The sandwich looked delicious, but he still had his doubts that he would be able to swallow it with his sore throat. He drank some tea first, before he took his first bite, a little groan escaping him.

"That cranberry sauce on there?"

"Yeah, it's good, isn't it?"

"It's fucking awesome." He figured that Bernadette really knew what she was doing. It tasted so good that he couldn't get enough and ended up eating the whole thing. Clever woman. It hit the spot and he had to admit he did feel a bit better with a full belly. He leaned back against the headboard and slowly sipped his tea. "She's really gotta cook awesome shit for us and we can stay in bed all day?"

"Yep."

"Hm. Could get used ta that." Daryl smiled a little and leaned over to kiss Teddy's good shoulder. His good mood didn't last too long, though. Like Teddy had predicted he started feeling worse again after lunch, when the fever spiked. He felt miserable. First he was freezing cold and then he felt like he was burning up, only to feel cold again half an hour later. Bernadette put cold leg compresses on him to bring the fever down and of course she had to do it while he had one of the freezing spells, which brought forth an extremely grumpy, but also extremely cute Daryl.

"Ya ain't s'pposed ta torture the sick. Why ya gotta make me even more cold when I can't get warm in the first place?" he pouted with a big scowl on his face, only making Bernadette laugh and pinch his cheek.

"Relax, it will feel good soon. Take your meds, sweetie and I'll bring you some juice." Bernadette chirped with a smile, before she left the room. She just loved this whole situation to death. Teddy laughed, making Daryl scowl even more.

"The fuck are you laughin' at?"

"Sorry. It's kinda fun to see that you're just human after all." Teddy grinned.

"The hell is that supposed ta mean?"

"You've always been Superman to me. It's kinda nice to see a bit of Clark Kent in there, too."

"I'm not even gonna... Good Lord just hit me over the head with a hammer so I can sleep."

"Can't do that, but I'll get out of your hair for a bit."

"What?"

"I'll go out and take a little walk. I need some fresh air. I'm going crazy in here." Teddy swung her legs out of bed and scooted to the edge. "MOOOOOOM, can you help me put my shoes on?"

Daryl flinched when Teddy yelled for her mother and flopped on his back, putting his hand on his forehead and muttering under his breath. "These women are killin' me."

"You'll feel better tomorrow and then you can yell for her, and the kicker? You can ask for pretty much anything and she will go get it for you. Watch!"

Bernadette came in and put Teddy's sneakers on her daughter's feet and Teddy smiled. "Thanks Mom. Hey do we have any chocolate pudding? I would love some with whipped cream on top."

"I didn't bring any, but don't you worry, I'll whip some up while you're out." She smiled and looked over at Daryl with a frown. "Daryl, sweetheart, what are you doing?"

"If she goes for a walk, I go for a walk. She ain't goin' alone. We still don't know what happened when she had her accident." he croaked while he got out of bed.

"No, you're not ready for a walk, baby. You need one more day. I'll be fine, you can't accompany me everywhere from now on."

"Watch me."

"Daryl, stop it. You get back in that bed, mister. I mean it. We can't have you collapsing. Teddy will be fine. I know you're worried, but it's like she said, you can't go everywhere with her and you can't protect her from everything, darling. Bed! Now!" Bernadette gently pushed Daryl back down, but he just looked up at her stubbornly and didn't budge. Bernadette wasn't impressed and just stared right back. Their staring match lasted for quite a while until Daryl huffed and laid back down.

"Fine. But if anything happens to her, it's on you. I'll never forgive ya, just so ya know."

"I am well aware of that." Bernadette smiled sweetly and tucked him in. Teddy had to cover her mouth with her hand to keep in her laughter. Sick and grumpy Daryl was too cute. She walked around to his side of the bed and took his hand in hers, kissing the back of it gently.

"I'll be back before you know it. Drink your juice and try to sleep a little."

"You be careful, okay? Promise me you'll walk real slow and stay away from the street."

"I promise."

Teddy left and of course everything went well and she was back at the apartment half an hour later. When Daryl woke up from his nap he was relieved to see that she was back and his mood lightened a little.

"I'm jus' worried."

"I know, my love, but I'm fine."

"Don't ever wanna feel like the way I did, when I found ya, again. Couldn't stand it. Love ya too much, ya know that."

"I know. Same here."

"Whatever happens, I gotta die first. Don't wanna live without ya no more. Promise me." Daryl looked up at her pleadingly. Teddy knew it had to be his flu-addled brain talking for the most part and he would feel silly later for practically telling her to make sure that he would die first, but she nodded with a gentle smile on her face and squeezed his hand, calming him down with her answer.

"I promise. I won't ever leave you alone."

It was probably a good thing that Daryl had no idea, that the next health scare involving his woman, was already lurking in the not too distant future, or else he would have had a nervous breakdown right then and there.

###### ###### ###### ######## ###### ##### #######

After three weeks Teddy's shoulder was freed from the sling she had grown to hate with a passion and she started physical therapy and returned to work, but she was still in some pain when she moved her arm too much. In mid-December Daryl wanted to go deer hunting and take Teddy with him, but unfortunately when she tried to draw back the string of her bow, it still hurt her and they agreed that it would be best if she stayed home.

Even though she knew that it was better this way, she was still sad about it. She had been looking forward to sharing the experience with him and now that stupid accident prevented her from doing so. She was disgruntled and bored, so she decided to do something and probably infuriating herself even more. It was Christmas time, and while she wasn't one for decorating, she still liked cookies and she decided that she would try making some. She looked for a recipe online and decided on chewy chocolate chip cookies as they looked easy enough to make. They would probably turn out horribly, but at least it was something to do.

When Daryl came back home late that afternoon, he entered the kitchen with a frown.

"Something smells good."

"I know, right? I tried making cookies." Teddy beamed. She had tried one earlier and it hadn't been bad. Finally she would be able to make a little sweet treat for Daryl every now and then.

"Let's hope they taste as good as they smell." he winked and kissed her lovingly before he put a big plastic bag on the counter.

"Uhhhh, you got one?" Teddy smiled proudly and looked into the plastic bag. In there were more, smaller bags filled with meat.

"Hell yeah I did. Took the rest to yer folks, their freezer is ten times bigger than ours."

"Wanna make some of it for dinner?"

"Yeah, here put this in the fridge and the rest in the freezer. I'm gonna take a shower real quick, kay?"

"Okay, baby." Daryl kissed her once more, but what was supposed to be a little peck turned into a toe-curling kiss, when he wasn't able to pull away. He grabbed her hips and pulled her against him, letting his tongue push between her lips to glide along hers. He groaned quietly into the kiss when she sucked on his tongue and squeezed her hard, before he pulled away with a purely male smirk. It made Teddy giggle and she knew she was in for a good night. A successful hunt always made him horny as fuck and he practically oozed testosterone, even more than usual.

He took his shower while Teddy made them coffee and put two plates of cookies on the table. As soon as he came back into the kitchen, his eyes fell on the cookies and he scoffed.

"We expectin' a giant for coffee?"

Teddy's smile faltered a little. Sure they had turned out way too big, because she had forgotten to use a tea spoon instead of a table spoon for heaping the dough onto the baking sheet, so a single cookie was as big as half the plate, but that didn't mean they had to taste bad.

"Just try them. I liked them."

"Ya used ta eat yer own cooking all the time, too." Daryl grinned and took a sip of coffee first, before he reached for a cookie. "Hm, yeah, they ain't bad."

"But?" Teddy sighed in disappointment, her good mood rushing right out the window when his expression clearly said that he wasn't much of a fan of her cookies.

"Too much sugar. Don't taste much else. But for your standards they're really good." he said while he dropped the rest of the cookie back on the plate and leaned back against the back of the chair with his coffee mug in hand.

"Oh. Thanks." Teddy said dejectedly.

"What's wrong?" Daryl asked when he noticed her mood change.

"Nothing. Just another thing I suck at."

"Come on, they don't suck, I just don't like 'em that much. Ya want me ta lie?"

"No. It's okay, it's not your fault. You can't help if you don't like them. I just gotta start accepting that there's nothing I'm really good at."

"That ain't true, girl." Daryl told her and watched her take the plates from the table and dump the cookies in the trash.

"Oh yeah? Then tell me. What am I good at?" she asked upset, as the plates clattered into the sink. "Cooking? Cleaning? Laundry? Ironing? Our clothes have even more wrinkles in them after I'm done with them. I've got a newsflash for you, Daryl. Out of the two of us, YOU'RE the domestic goddess. I don't contribute at all, I can't do nothing right. So what the fuck am I good at exactly?"

"Makin' me happy." Daryl stated calmly and it shut Teddy right up. "Ya make me happy, girl, and where I'm concerned, that's all ya need ta contribute for the rest of our lives."

Teddy wiped at her eyes, where tears had pooled after his statement and laughed softly. "You're an ass. Now you're making me cry again. Stupid redneck." She turned around to grab a paper towel to dry her face with, while Daryl opened the cabinet where they kept their store-bought cookies.

"So what about you?" he asked after a moment of silence. Teddy felt him come closer and turned around to face him.

"What about me?" Teddy asked slightly confused. Daryl kissed her and smiled.

"Ya willing to put up with all my shit for the rest of yer life?"

"You know I am." she replied with a smile.

"Then how 'bout we make it official?" he asked casually and held up her grandmother's engagement ring so she could see it. Then he held his breath, while his insides were shaking from being so nervous.

Teddy's mouth dropped open and she reflexively covered it with her hand while tears started flowing down her cheeks without her being able to control it.

"Oh my God,... That's not possible... That's... my grandmother's... h-how?"

"Your daddy had them all along, girl. Your grandma made him promise ta hide them from you and give 'em to the right guy." he sounded breathless, his nervousness was growing with each second.

"You went to my Dad?" Teddy couldn't think straight, she was completely overwhelmed with what was happening. Never in a million years had she expected this.

"Yeah. Asked him for permission. He gave us his blessing and the rings."

"Rings? You have her wedding ring, too?"

"Yeah." he swallowed. "But ya only get that if ya say yes, you know?" he laughed nervously and finally Teddy snapped out of it and remembered that he had actually asked her to marry him.

"Oh shit, sorry! Yes!" she slapped her own forehead and laughed slightly embarrassed that she was so out of it. "Yes."

"Yeah? Ya sure?" Daryl grinned while the breath he'd been holding rushed out of him.

"Hell yeah. Let's make it official. Now gimme my damn ring." she giggled through her tears and when Daryl put it on her finger, a new rush of wetness flowed from her eyes and down her face. She looked at her hand and shook her head with a laugh. "Shit, it's so beautiful."

"Ya didn't say yes just so you'd get the rings, did ya?"

"Shut up. Of course not." She smiled brightly and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I said yes so I'd get you."

"Good." Daryl smiled and put his arms around her to pull her flush against his body. "Cause now yer really gon' be stuck with me forever." he murmured against her lips, before his mouth slanted over hers and they shared their first passionate kiss as an engaged couple.

###### ####### ####### ###### ####### ######

**AN: Thank you for reading and thank you for all the support.**

**Don't forget to check tumblr for a glimpse at Teddy's ring.**

**Dear Snowbird: There is kind of a sequel to People Always Meet Twice in Life. It's called Releasing the Demons and tells the story of how Daryl and Jarah would have met in the real world without the zombie apocalypse. Also People Always Meet Twice in Life is not completely done yet. There will be more chapters, but I guess not until Jasper is done;) Thank you so much for your wonderful reviews.  
**


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

"This wasn't supposed to be YOUR playtime." Daryl hissed and groaned as Teddy's teeth tugged gently on his right nipple. "Don't wanna cum already."

"Very cute." Teddy smirked and let her lips trail over to his left nipple, leaving little wet spots on the way, when her tongue flicked against his skin occasionally. "But don't act like you only get it up once a day." she winked and tightened her grip on his wrists, keeping his arms pinned to the bed, before she lowered her mouth and caressed his nipple with her tongue. Daryl's back arched involuntarily and a quiet groan rumbled in the depths of his throat at her ministrations. Both knew that he would be able to free himself from her grip in less than a second, but he let her do her thing. Most of the time he craved being in control, but sometimes it felt nice to hand over the reigns to her and let her show him just how much she appreciated him.

"Got plans for ya." he breathed out sharply, when he felt the sting of a little bite on his sensitive flesh, which made his cock grow even larger inside his black boxer briefs.

"We got all night. Wanna make my future husband feel good, before you start screwing my brains out." she grinned happily and let her gaze wander from his eyes down to her hand that had relinquished its hold on Daryl's wrist and was sliding up his arm. She admired the ring once more. She had missed seeing it so much in the past ten years. She had been heartbroken when she had found out that her grandmother had left them to her aunt. She couldn't believe that the sneaky old lady had given them to Gerald, so Teddy would be surprised by her future husband one day, by having him give them to her. It was still so surreal, but the evidence that Daryl had proposed to her earlier was right there, glinting in the sunlight that was streaming through the window.

She wasn't able to stop watching her own hand glide over Daryl's body, not only was she enamored with the ring, but she was also enamored with the fact that it was now the symbol that she was going to be his forever. She barely registered what she was doing, but at the same time, she was extremely aware that she was doing it all for the first time again, the first time being his fiancee. Her fingers teasingly trailed along the waistband of his boxer briefs, making him suck in his stomach reflexively. The shape of his massive erection was prominently outlined by the tight cotton fabric of his underwear and she had the fingers of her left hand trace it slowly, almost reverently.

"Ya ain't lookin' at ma dick, are ya?" She heard amusement, but also pride in his strained voice and she looked up at him smilingly.

"Is it that obvious?"

"I know ya better than anyone, woman. Yer still here, doin' yer thing, but yer head is distracted by that ring."

"Sorry. Better do something that will distract me from my ring a little, huh?" she grinned mischievously.

Daryl nodded and frantically chewed his bottom lip while he watched her lift the waistband of his boxers away from his body to let his erection jump free from its confines. She must have given him head a hundred times by now, but he was still excited like it was the very first time, every time she did it. Probably, because she was always genuinely excited and enthusiastic to do it for him. He lifted his hips off the bed when Teddy tugged on his briefs and let her take them off all the way.

"Mmmm, already leaking. I love it when you come home from a hunt. Always so horny, aren't you, baby?" she murmured in a sultry voice, while her lips ghosted along the length of his shaft.

"Mhm." Daryl grunted and threaded his fingers through her wild locks, tugging her closer to the tip of his dick.

"Ah ah ah,... none of that, sweetie. MY playtime, remember? Hands off or I'll tie them to the bed." Daryl's eyes widened at her statement, a strange pull tightening his stomach. He wasn't sure if he was apprehensive or turned on by that image that presented itself inside his head. Maybe it was a little bit of both. He licked his lips nervously, when curiosity also rose inside of him.

"Wanna tie me up, huh? Have yer way with me?"

"Crossed my mind a time or two." she grinned, before she licked along the seam that ran along the middle of his scrotum and let her nails gently rake down over the top of his thighs. His breath came out in a hiss, while his muscles tensed and he arched his pelvis towards her mouth.

"What would ya do?" he asked next. If tying him up had crossed her mind, he was curious whether or not she had already come up with something she wanted to try out while she had him at her mercy.

"A little bit of this." she smirked and sucked one testicle into her mouth, making Daryl groan her name, while she gently massaged it with her tongue. "And some of this." she let the flat of her tongue glide up his shaft until she reached his frenulum, which she flicked with the tip of her tongue, already tasting pre-cum that was starting to run down his tip. "Probably a bit of this, as well." she muttered before her tongue swirled all around his tip for a moment, before she closed her lips around the head and gave him a nice little suck. Daryl was clenching the sheets in a death grip at her teasing. He'd already been riled up by his successful hunt and it wouldn't need very much more at all to make him cum. He didn't want this to be over yet, he loved having her mouth on him and he wanted to be able to hold on a little longer.

"But most of all, I'd test out how my vibrator would work on your cock and balls." she smiled casually, getting a kick out of how sharply his gaze snapped from her mouth up to her eyes and how his dick twitched in her hand, a fresh flow of pre-cum hitting her lips. "Mmmm, you like that thought, don't you?"

"Fuck, darlin'." Daryl was speechless for a moment. Once again he was confused about his feelings, but there was no denying, that he was turned on by it, just as much as the idea of the whole thing made him nervous. He knew how strong the vibrations were, he really wasn't sure if he'd be able to take it at all. "You'd fuckin' kill me with that thing. Prolly way too much fer me ta handle."

"Who knows..." Teddy grinned and started pumping his length, while she let her mouth focus on his tip, sucking and licking, just the way he liked it. A strangled groan escaped his mouth as his eyes fell shut and he let himself go, letting the sensations take over. His breathing picked up and his hips started undulating while Teddy brought him closer and closer to climax. When little noises started coming out of his mouth more frequently, she knew he was very close and she quickly brought two fingers to the spot, that always gave him an extra kick.

"Yesss..." he hissed in anticipation when he felt her go there and only seconds later, he was a goner.

"Cummin'..." he bit out, but if he had wanted to warn her, it was too late. The first spurt was already erupting from his cock before he had finished saying it. Teddy didn't mind and he knew that, yet he still kept warning her every time. It was adorable. She swallowed quickly and gently kept sucking until he was spent and too sensitive to be able to take any more touching for the time being. He grasped her chin and pulled her up, giving her a little peck on the lips, before his head fell back against the pillow again and he tried to catch his breath.

Teddy leaned over him until she was able to reach his nightstand and Daryl watched her with a look of surprise on his face, when she lit a cigarette for him and held it against his lips.

"Ya hate when I smoke in here."

"It's a special occasion. Don't get used to it, though." she smiled and covered them both with a blanket. Daryl wrapped one arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side, kissing the top of her head before he took a drag from his smoke.

"How 'bout the first week in January?" he asked a while later, making Teddy look up at him questioningly.

"What?"

"Gettin' hitched. First week in January. Whaddaya say?"

"That's in three weeks, Daryl."

"I know how ta read a calendar. I know it's in three weeks, girl."

"Okay, so the vibe I'm getting here is courthouse wedding? Because you know there is no way in hell to plan a big wedding within three weeks."

"Exactly. Why? You want a big wedding like yer brother and Maggie? Ya said yerself, that ya wouldn't want a ton of people watchin' us say our vows and shit like that."

"True. Who would we invite anyway? I don't have any friends here... I should really work on changing that, by the way. We aren't close to the rest of our family, so it would only be my folks. Billy, Maggie, Merle and that's it. I'm not gonna let my mom invite a bunch of her charity/country club people just to fill the seats."

"I'd cancel the whole fucking thing if she'd invite people we don't even know." Daryl scoffed and put out his cigarette in the glass of water on her nightstand, since they had no ashtray in the bedroom. Teddy was just about to complain, when she realized that there really had been no other option for him, so she kept her mouth shut and took note to remind herself not to drink from the glass.

"Okay. Courthouse it is. You really wanna do it that soon?"

"Why not? Explain ta me the sense in waiting another three months or whatever, if we ain't plannin' anything big anyway."

"I don't know. I guess it's just because society has all these rules of how you are supposed to wait a certain amount of time..."

"Yeah well, society is stupid. We been together 8 months now and I knew I wanted ta do this with you after 8 hours. Where I'm concerned I waited long enough." Daryl stated forcefully and Teddy laughed out loud.

"You're really cute, you know that? You have that whole redneck romance thing down pat." Teddy giggled and kissed him soundly. "I think you have a point. In the end it doesn't even matter how long we wait. There's never any guarantees, no matter if you wait 8 weeks, 8 months or even 8 years. There are couples who got married after three months and they were together until the day they died and then there are couples who waited 10 years to get married and got divorced after three months. We can do a courthouse wedding. We can still do a big church wedding in a couple of years or so, if we feel like it..."

"Right. Ya can wear a real wedding dress to a courthouse wedding, right?" he wondered out loud. He would actually like to see her wearing one like you see on TV.

"I could, but I wouldn't want to." Teddy's reply made him frown.

"Why not?"

"In case we ever decide to have a church wedding after all."

"That mean I won't have to wear a suit?" The possibility of getting married in his usual clothes made him perk up.

"Oh hell no. You're definitely gonna wear a suit, baby. It's still a wedding. I'm gonna find a cute dress and you're getting a suit."

"Hm."

"Hm? You wanna get married and want me to wear a wedding gown to the courthouse, but you don't wanna wear a suit?" Teddy let out an incredulous laugh.

"Hate suits and ties and all that shit."

"Compromise, baby. You wanna marry me, you're gonna do it the right way. I love you and I don't mind doing every other thing the unconventional way, but let's do this one by the book, okay? For me?" she gave him puppy dog eyes. He was powerless against her puppy dog eyes. Always has been and always will be. Who was he kidding? Puppy dog eyes or not, he would do pretty much anything for her.

"Fine. For you." he relented. "What about yer last name. Gon' change it ta mine? Would probably just hurt yer reputation even more if ya did."

"Daryl, this is Jasper. People already know we're together and the ones who don't want to get treated by me have already been staying away. The ones that stayed sure aren't gonna change their mind just because we made it official. I'll definitely change my name to Dixon. Dr. Dixon,... kinda sounds like a porn name." she laughed and Daryl had to agree.

"Yeah, kinda does. Teddy Dixon also sounds like some old fuck from the country club that plays golf and drinks Arnold Palmer's all day." he smirked and tickled her ribs when she pouted.

"Awesome, not exactly giving off the sexy young wife vibe, then, am I?"

"Maybe not to others, but you takin' ma name is the best thing ever ta me."

"You're gonna make me cry again." she kissed his lips sweetly and sighed happily, her eyes full of unshed tears. "I love you so much. I don't think you'll ever have any idea how freaking much. Not ever. You're so gorgeous. So fucking handsome, and your smile makes the sun pale in comparison. It all makes me stop breathing when I look at you sometimes."

"Teddy..." he murmured bashfully and averted his gaze.

"I told you when we first started dating, that you would have to learn to live with the compliments." she smiled and moved to straddle his belly. She put her hand over his heart and kissed his heated cheek. "You're even more beautiful in here. You can be the most obnoxious and angry redneck on the planet, but you still have the most beautiful heart and soul I've ever experienced. I'll be so proud to be your wife. So proud that you chose me. I never needed anyone, but I need you, and I'm happy to be needing you... if that makes any sense at all..."

"It does to me..." Daryl swallowed hard, his own emotions and feelings for her overwhelming him. He wasn't able to stop the tear that rolled down his cheek from spilling over, but it was okay. Teddy was allowed to see his weaknesses. Not that his love for her was a weakness, but he was taught that crying in any form was a weakness. He wasn't ashamed to cry in front of her though, never had been. He felt safe with her. One of the many reasons why he would marry that woman.

###### ####### ####### ######## ######## ########

The big reveal was going to happen on Family Dinner Wednesday. Since Billy had moved to live with Maggie on the Greene's farm, family dinner usually only consisted of Teddy, Daryl, Bernadette and Gerald. Maggie and Billy only attended every other week, but this week they were going to be there. Daryl was a bit nervous, not sure how everyone would react, although he'd like to think that everybody would have positive feelings about it.

They had wanted to wait with their announcement until after dinner, both sure that nobody would notice the ring on Teddy's finger until then, because Maggie was going to be there and her belly was usually the attention catcher. That was why they looked at each other at a loss for words for a moment, when Billy piped up, while they were still eating.

"Ain't that grandma's ring? What the hell are you doing with it? Thought Aunt Sheila had that." he asked with a frown and while Daryl and Teddy stared at each other, the sound of silverware clattering as it hit the table echoed through the spacious room, followed by a big gasp.

"No! NOOO! Oh my God, you didn't!" Bernadette was shouting, clutching her hands over her heart first, before they went to her mouth, while tears pooled in her eyes. She wasn't sad or angry, though. She was so excited she was speechless. Gerald smiled big and put his hand on his wife's arm, trying to calm her down, while Maggie and Billy looked at them in confusion.

"You didn't what?" Billy asked and Teddy knew that it was time to fill them in.

"Well, I have this ring, because Aunt Sheila actually never had it. Dad did. He gave them to Daryl, because he asked me to marry him and I said yes."

"Oh Teddy..." her mother was nearly wailing and she got up from her chair and walked over to the newly engaged couple and pulled her daughter up from her chair to hug her tightly. "I'm so happy. I had lost hope of ever seeing my daughter walk down the aisle."

Teddy was just about to respond, but her brother's voice made her freeze.

"That was fast." he stated, and he did not sound particularly happy. Maggie's words got stuck in her throat and she looked at her husband in surprise.

"Billy..."

"Don't Billy me. I'm sick and tired of you trying to get me to keep my opinions to myself."

Everyone gaped at Billy, no one really understanding what the hell was happening. Teddy found her voice first while she disentangled herself from Bernadette's embrace.

"What the fuck is wrong with you? You don't talk to your wife like that! What's your damn problem here? You got something to say?"

"Damn right I got something to say. First off, you two barely know each other. It's way too soon for you to get engaged. What's the fucking rush? You pregnant or something? Probably, because I can't ever have anything for myself, right? I get married, you gotta get married too. We're having a baby, so you're gotta have one, too? And you..." he turned his attention to his father. "You had the rings all along? Why the fuck didn't you give them to me? Maybe I would have wanted to give them to Maggie."

"They weren't meant for you, Billy. Your grandmother wanted Teddy to have them when she would get married. And you better change your tone and get a grip on yourself. This is no way to talk to anyone of us."

"Oh right, I forgot." Billy laughed sarcastically. "It's Teddy first, always. Everything is meant for Teddy. Teddy always gets everything she wants served on a silver platter. Nothing's ever meant for Billy, it's always just Teddy, Teddy, Teddy. Maybe that's why she's never been able to keep her shit together, because you were always there to help her out. You, dear sister of mine, never had to experience the hard side of life. Always living with your head in the damn clouds, not being able to do anything but sit on your ass and look pretty. Sure that's who you wanna marry, Daryl? 'Cause one thing is for certain, her looks will go away one day and then, what do you have?"

"You better watch your mouth or I'll stomp yer ass into the ground." Daryl threatened in a deadly low growl.

"Fuck you!" Billy spat and stormed out of the room, leaving his crying wife behind.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Maggie tried to stay strong, but her pregnancy hormones had her crying easily these days. Everyone was shocked at what had just transpired and was rooted to their spot. All except for Gerald, who had the wherewithal to sit down next to Maggie and pull her into his arms to comfort her. "He's been like this for a couple of weeks. Always blowing up at every little thing."

"It's true. Been the same at work." Daryl said, making Teddy look at him surprised.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Dunno. He never dared to go off on me before. Thought he might have beef with the others somehow."

"What's going on?" Gerald asked his daughter-in-law gently. "Are you having problems?"

"Maybe. I don't know. He is just so stressed out and just impatient and has a temper lately. But he's not talking to me about it and I'm worried that everything is falling apart. That maybe he doesn't want all this anymore." Maggie sobbed, scared to death that her marriage might already be over after just three months.

"I don't think that's it. He loves you dearly, Maggie." Gerald tried to calm her down and Teddy quickly agreed.

"He's right, I don't think that's it either. Billy doesn't just explode like this out of thin air. It happens when he keeps stuff bottled up for some time. I'll talk to him, but he's gotta calm down first." Teddy promised.

"I'm so sorry he ruined this night for you. I'm happy for you two. I think it's the right thing to do. If you know, you know." Maggie cried.

"Oh sweetie, don't you worry about a thing. It's not your fault." Teddy walked over to Maggie's chair and hugged her and kissed her cheek. "Thank you, though. Let's keep eating everybody, give him some time to calm down." Teddy forced a smile and walked back to her chair. After sitting down she kissed Daryl, who was still scowling unhappily, knowing for sure that Billy had hurt Teddy deeply. He wanted to kill the younger man with his bare hands and make him hurt, too.

"You knew?" Bernadette asked Gerald, once they were all seated again.

"Yes, Daryl asked for Teddy's hand in marriage. That's when I gave him the rings. I was wondering when you'd finally do it. I'm very happy that you finally did." Gerald nodded at Daryl smilingly.

"And you didn't tell me?" Bernadette was only mildly offended.

"You can't keep a secret, dear. I love you, but you really can't. Teddy would have known within a day and I promised Daryl to keep it a secret."

"I guess it is true. I would have been too excited." Bernadette agreed. "Oh this is going to be so exciting. We have to put our heads together and start figuring some things out. You can't start planning too early. Oh Teddy, you are going to be such a beautiful bride. We will find just the perfect dress for you."

"Actually, Mom... We won't." Teddy said carefully.

"Oh, you already have one?"

"No. Well, maybe, but uhm... I won't be needing a real wedding dress. Daryl and I will just go down to the courthouse in January and get married there."

"No. No no no no no! You can't do that. No, that's not right. You have to have a real wedding." Bernadette protested, not able to believe that she wouldn't see her daughter being walked down the aisle by Gerald after all.

"It will be a real wedding, Mom. Just not in a church with a ton of people or a party after. It will be a quick and quiet affair." Teddy said. Somehow the words sounded bad to her own ears, but it's what she and Daryl had agreed on. He was uncomfortable standing in front of a lot of people and she wanted them both to enjoy their wedding day. She was a little bit sad that they wouldn't have a traditional wedding with her wearing a beautiful wedding gown, but still, she wouldn't want Daryl to force himself to do something he wasn't okay with. She would be okay with both options.

"That's disappointing." Bernadette sighed and Gerald had to nod in agreement. He was disappointed that he wouldn't see his daughter in the fairytale wedding she had planned when she had been a little girl, wearing her grandmothers rings.

"Why should Billy get to be the only one to disappoint you tonight?" Teddy said curtly in reply, before she got up. "Which reminds me. I'll go find him."

Awkward silence filled the room and she was glad to be able to leave. She found her brother smoking on the steps that led down from the porch. Tears were staining his cheeks, making Teddy's mood soften. She sat down next to him on the top step and wrapped both her arms around one of his.

"What's up, Billy Goat? Why are you so stressed out lately?"

"Living on that damn farm is killing me. I love her family. All of them, Hershel, Shawn, Beth,... but they are always up in each other's business. You can't be alone on that farm, there is always someone around, offering advice and talking and talking and talking. It's so different from our family. We love each other, we all know that, but we know that distance makes the heart grow fonder. We talk every other day on the phone, we see each other about once a week, but that's it. We fight, we sort our shit out, we make up and we move on until the next fight. Everything there is just so,... I don't know. Too harmonious? And they are just always together. You know how often I've seen my wife alone? Just the two of us in those three months? Once? Maybe twice?"

"You wanted to live there, Billy."

"I know. And I still want to live there. I want our son to grow up the way she did, but I wish there was a way to just have a little house for just the three of us. You know, like Merle's cabin, a little distance from the main house, but still on the farm."

"Why don't you just tell her that, Billy? You always do this. You don't wanna hurt anyone, so you keep stuffing your feelings down until you explode and hurt everybody even more than you would have, if you had just talked about it in the first place."

"I don't want her to think I hate it there."

"She won't. I'm sure she'll understand. She knows how our family is. Maybe you will find a way, maybe Hershel is willing to have a little house built? You won't know unless you talk to your wife and father-in-law about it."

"Yeah. Guess you are right. The damn commute is also pissing me off. I'm used to being at work within five minutes. Now I spend over an hour each day driving back and forth. I hate it."

"Then you will have to find another job in Elijay, Billy. It's all you can do."

"I'm so fucking anxious. I'm worried all the time. The bigger she gets, the more I freak out." Billy sniffed and wiped his tears away angrily with the back of his hand. "The whole home birth thing,... I'm just not cool with that. So fucking far away from a hospital..."

"You worry too much. Maggie and your son are in perfect health. I know that a home birth is a bit riskier than giving birth in a hospital, but it's what she wants. You can't try to change her mind about it or be mad at her for her decision. She has to be the one that has to be as comfortable as possible in that situation and she wants to give birth in the comfort of her own home with the family there. You have to accept and support that, no matter how hard it is for you. You have to suck it up and be there for her instead of giving her hell about it. I've done a lot of home births, I know what I'm doing and I promise you I'll do everything in my power to make sure that your family will be just fine. Alright?"

"Fine. Now get your wife and take her home." Teddy broke their contact and got up. "Also, don't fucking call me until you're ready to apologize."

"Still mad then, yeah?"

"I love you, but you have to be a fool to think I'd forgive you for the things you said, just because you were stressed out. I know you meant what you said, and it's not okay. Grow up." Teddy had the ability to turn her anger off for a couple of minutes to talk some sense into her brother, but that didn't mean that all was forgiven. She was hurt and mad and she wouldn't talk to him again until he'd apologize.

###### ####### ####### ####### ###### ####### ######

"Daryl, hand me the ratcheting box wrench?" Billy looked up from the engine he was working on and held his hand out, waiting for Daryl to hand him the tool. Daryl grabbed the wrench in question and tossed it carelessly in Billy's direction, not even really looking where it went. Billy was barely able to catch it and it hit him in the chest.

"Hey, watch it, man!" Billy complained.

"Why? That hurt?" Daryl's voice was gruff, but he asked it pretty conversationally.

"Right, I get it. Payback for going off on you, yes?"

"Nah, not even close." Daryl shook his head, still keeping his back turned on his future brother-in-law.

"Look. What happened back there, the things that were said, that's between me and my sister, okay? No need for you to get involved."

Daryl scoffed and shook his head in disbelief. "That's where you're wrong. You hurt ma woman, you make it ma business. You acted like a whiny little bitch. Ya dealt low blows, real low blows and it was fucking uncalled for. Ya wanna be mad at someone, be mad at yer parents and yer grandma. They were the ones that gave her the rings, paid for school and shit like that. Don't take it out on her. Be glad that I didn't get ma hands on you last night. I would've beat your ass into the ground. Ya made Teddy feel bad about having something, that she wanted to have her whole life. She was out of her freaking mind with happiness, because she got that ring and now she's cryin' and feelin' guilty for having it, because you were being a petty little shit. You never wanted those rings in yer life. You're just jealous. I still wanna fucking kill ya right now, so don't bother talking ta me until ya made things right with yer sister." Daryl finally turned around to walk past him, but stopped when he was right next to him and looked him dead in the eyes. "And if ya ever talk to her like that again and I hear about it, there's nowhere you can hide from me."

####### ####### ######## ######## ####### #######

One week later on Christmas Eve, Teddy finally got her cat. They got it from a senior citizen of Jasper, who had put an ad in the paper. He was moving out of his house and into a nursing home and couldn't take his cat Snoopy with him. Since he had no family, he would have to give Snoopy to a shelter, if nobody wanted him. Teddy contacted him and asked him a couple of questions. The most important thing to know was, if Snoopy got along with dogs and if he was an indoor cat. The owner told her that he had also had a dog for many years, but the dog had died a couple of months ago and Snoopy missed his companion. He would be happy to be with another dog. Snoopy was already 8 years old and a calm, quiet and cuddly indoor cat, that was happy as long as it had food and someone to love him and play with him occasionally.

Teddy and Daryl went over there to meet Snoopy, and it was love on first sight... between Daryl and Snoopy. Daryl had told the owner that they would take him and give him a new home, before Teddy even had the chance to say anything. Sure, she had instantly fallen in love with the big black fur-ball as well, but Daryl hadn't even known that, before he'd announced that they would take him with them. The cat was supposed to be for her, but in the end it looked like it had been more for Daryl. It was okay for Teddy, though. Snoopy cuddled with her, too and would spend most nights curled up in the crook between Teddy's neck and shoulder, while Daryl was slung around her like a kraken with his head on her chest. Only poor Roxy had to sleep in her own bed, because she was just too big to fit.

Teddy got a kick out of watching Daryl with Snoopy and Roxy. He was like a happy little boy in a candy store, that had been given a free pass to eat anything he'd want to. It had taken a week to get Roxy and Snoopy used to one another, but then they were inseparable and Roxy was always careful around the much smaller cat. It was adorable to watch. Teddy felt that Snoopy really made their little family complete. They now had a boy and a girl and everyone loved each other dearly.

On New Year's Eve, when Daryl came home from getting some champagne to drink at midnight, which they had forgotten during their shopping trip, he was immediately greeted by their two pets. He cuddled Roxy, before he scooped Snoopy up in his arms and walked to the kitchen, where Teddy was going through some paperwork. It was only five days until they would get married and they had to get their papers in order.

"Hey." she smiled up at him, her smile turning into a big happy grin, when she watched Snoopy turn his head and press it into the crook of Daryl's neck. Daryl looked down at him and nuzzled his ear.

"Almost done with everything?" he asked quietly against Snoopy's soft black fur.

"Yeah, just one last form and we have everything we need. Just need to get you some shoes on Friday or Saturday."

"What's wrong with my boots?"

"Daryl, don't start another discussion about the damn wedding clothes. Half a day in a suit and dress shoes won't kill you." she winked with a smile.

"I'll look stupid."

"No, you'll look incredibly handsome."

"Nobody's gonna look at me, anyway."

"I will, baby." Teddy laughed and put an end to the discussion, since Daryl really couldn't argue with that. She jumped in shock the next second, when Roxy barked up at Snoopy, who was looking down at her over Daryl's shoulder and it made the cat startle as well. Snoopy scrambled over to Daryl's other shoulder, sinking his claws through Daryl's thin t-shirt and into his skin in his haste. Daryl's eyes widened and his mouth fell open, tongue sticking out slightly, like he was choking, but he was actually smiling and laughing.

"Hey, keep it down you two." He smiled his big smile while he hugged Snoopy to his body and turned around to smile down at Roxy. "Hush, we're in enough trouble with them damn neighbors as it is." He put Snoopy down on the floor and finally took of his warm coat, while Teddy watched on with a dreamy smile.

"You are just so cute."

"Still no second thoughts, then?" he asked while he pulled her up from her chair and grabbed the back of her thighs, lifting her into his arms and setting her down on the counter.

"Never." she grinned and kissed along his jaw, while his fingers sneaked underneath her sweater and skimmed over the warm, soft skin of her back.

"How bout some practice for the wedding night?" he grinned and briefly caught her bottom lip between his teeth to suck on it.

"Do you think you are still gonna want me this much, once I'm the old ball and chain?"

"Girl, I'll probably want you even more, 'cause then you're officially mine, and in case ya haven't noticed, I kinda get off on that."

"Oh you're right, now that you mentioned it..." She giggled and kissed him hotly, letting her tongue roam into his mouth. Daryl picked her back up and carried her into the bedroom, slamming the door close behind them. The kids didn't need to see how Momma and Daddy get busy.

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	26. Chapter 26

**AN: To all the readers of this story and to all who also read "The Corruption of Beth Greene": Somebody reported the story** **and it got taken down. Just in case I get kicked off of this site completely or they take this story down too, make sure to follow this story's tumblr, as I will continue to post new chapters to Jasper there, IF I won'T be allowed to continue here. It's at jaylee8301 dot tumblr dot com  
**

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Chapter 26

Teddy had just come out of the shower when she heard a loud knock on the front door. She quickly put her robe on and ushered Snoopy away from the door, so he wouldn't run outside. When she finally opened the door, she found Billy leaning casually against the doorjamb.

"Took you long enough." Teddy huffed and turned around to walk into the living room. "Seriously? You need 10 days now to get over yourself and come here to apologize?"

"I was busy and I don't exactly live next door anymore." Billy sighed, already feeling like turning around and leaving, but what had he expected? To have her welcome him with open arms?

"Right... But you don't exactly live hours and hours away and you're in Jasper every goddamn day."

"Teddy, stop. I'm here now, okay? Daryl not around?"

"No. He's over at Mom and Dad's, having Mom trim his hair a little."

"Brave man. She wanted to get her hands on his hair since she's first seen him. Can I get a coffee?" Billy took off his coat and sat down at her kitchen table.

"No. I'm busy, too. Just say what you want to say and leave."

"Wow, straight to the point, huh? Fine. I'm sorry for exploding on you like I did. Wasn't the time and place and I'm sorry about some of the things I said."

"Oh, you're just sorry about SOME of the things you said? Which ones exactly?" Teddy looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"About you not being able to do anything, but sit on your ass and look good. That you've never had it tough. I'm sorry, okay?"

Teddy made herself a coffee and remained silent until she had taken a sip of the hot brew, pondering how she felt about his so-called apology for a minute.

"Your apology doesn't mean a thing, Billy." she said softly, while she stared unseeingly out the kitchen window, while various scenes of similar, previous fights ran through her mind. "I was always so quick to forgive you, because I hated fighting with you. I love you so much, I just wanted us to be on good terms and stick together, like we used to when we were kids. We used to be such a tight unit back then. We did everything together, remember? I would have done anything for you. Every time that you got hurt, it physically hurt me. Sometimes I felt like we shared one body, because we had this incredible bond. I felt what you felt and vice versa. We knew what the other was thinking, all the time. And now I don't even know who you are anymore. You're certainly not who you were back then."

"Yeah, well,... neither are you." Billy scoffed.

"That's true. We both changed and we went into two very different directions. Maybe it was because they separated us, but maybe it would have happened anyway. We won't ever find out and it doesn't even matter. What matters is, that we keep having the same fight over and over again, which shows me, that you meant every single word you said. You do believe that I can't do anything and that I've never had it tough. You've made that abundantly clear in the past. Still, I always forgave you, because you were my brother and I loved you. I don't know why it's different this time..., but it is."

"Come on, Teddy. They were just words. I was stressed out..." Billy argued weakly, but in his heart he knew, that Teddy was right. He did mean it and he had meant to hurt her, because he felt hurt by having been left out again by his grandmother.

"That's no excuse. They are not just words if you keep repeating them over and over every fucking year. You asked Daryl if he was sure that he wanted to marry me, because once my looks go, he will be left with an old and ugly wife, who can't do anything but sit around and be useless. That was the lowest of the lowest blows ever, Billy. And the worst part is that you meant it. You really do believe that and I don't have it in me to forgive you for that. Not yet, anyway." Teddy wiped away the tears that had spilled down her cheeks with the sleeve of her robe and sighed deeply. "These days we are as distant as we used to be tight back when we were kids. I don't even recognize you anymore and I hope for your sake, that you don't ever talk to Maggie like that again or you'll find yourself back in your bachelor pad sooner than you think."

"We will work it out. We always do." Billy squirmed in his chair. He wasn't used to Teddy being cold to him after he had apologized. Something really was different this time and it didn't sit well with him. "Does all that mean, that you don't want me at your wedding on Monday? 'Cause you need a witness, you know?"

"I know. Dad is gonna be mine." Teddy told him, shocking Billy a little.

"Wow, so you really don't want me there?"

"I do want you there. I know I'd regret you not being there in the future, Billy, but if you can't support us or if you plan on pulling some kind of crap during that ceremony, you better stay away, because I will kill you if you ruin this day for us, too."

"You really think I'd ruin your wedding?" Billy asked her with an incredulous expression on his pretty face.

"After that dinner? Yeah, wouldn't put it past you anymore."

"Shit, Teddy! Come on. We are not irreparably broken here or something, right?"

"I don't know. I hope not, but I guess I need more time to be able to forgive you for what you said. Our fights were usually just between us, but this time you branched out. The way you talked to Daryl and Maggie, especially,... It shocked me. That wasn't the man I grew up with and it's startling that that kind of person is inside of you. I guess that's why it's different this time." she sniffed and grabbed a paper towel to blow her nose and dry her face.

"I'm still me. It's just special circumstances. I keep thinking about Milo, okay? I keep thinking, what if my son is healthy now, but he doesn't come out healthy or alive at all? What if anything happened to Maggie... What if the same that happened to you will happen to us?"

"It's still no excuse, Billy. Instead of alienating everybody you should cherish every moment you have with the person you love, if you're worried about losing them. Don't use my son as your excuse for being a major jerk."

"Guess I can't say the right thing here, can I? Better leave then. I'll be there on Monday and don't worry, I'll just sit there and keep my trap shut."

"Good." Teddy replied curtly and took another sip of her coffee, while Billy got up to put on his coat. Then he stood there awkwardly, staring at Teddy's back. Usually they hug goodbye and it was like his body was still expecting it and was keeping him rooted to his spot, while his brain told him to get the hell out of there.

"Bye, Billy. See you on Monday." Teddy muttered, trying to keep her voice from shaking.

"Right. Bye." Billy sighed and forced his body into action. Teddy let her tears flow freely once he'd left. She needed to get it out of her system before Daryl would come back, because there would be no stopping him from driving to Elijay and kill Billy, if he caught her crying again.

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Two days later the big day was upon them, and for the first time in his life, Daryl was the clumsiest fuck on the planet. They wouldn't get married until afternoon and everyone involved was working a half day, and his colleagues weren't sure that Daryl would actually make it to the wedding unharmed or alive, if he kept dropping things or banging his head repeatedly. Daryl didn't even know why in the world he was so nervous. He wasn't having second thoughts and up until this morning he'd been as cool as a cucumber about the whole thing. It was like a switch had been flipped and he had no idea why he wasn't able to focus on anything else, but the impending nuptials.

As soon as their lunch break rolled around he, along with Billy and Roxy, was out of there. He still wasn't talking much to Billy. They were civil, but that was about it. Teddy was always worried about not being able to do anything right and not being able to contribute anything to their life together and Billy telling her, that her fears about herself were right and practically calling her a useless waste of space, was a big no-go in Daryl's book. Teddy hadn't been able to forgive him yet and neither had Daryl.

When he got home Daryl was surprised to feel incredibly relieved to see Teddy standing by the kitchen table and getting some burgers and fries out of a take out bag. It was like his subconscious had expected her to change her mind and run. She looked up at him and smiled, and before she had the chance to say anything, he'd enveloped her in a big hug and kissed her long and hard. Teddy rubbed her hands along his arms. She was able to feel Daryl's nervousness, it was practically radiating off of him. It reminded her of the time when they had just met. He'd always been so fidgety and nervous, not able to look at her directly and only mumbling his replies. In retrospect, she knew that she never stood a chance against his endearing charms.

"Don't be nervous. Everything is going to be just fine and it will be over before you know it." Teddy smiled gently at him as soon as their lips broke contact.

"Don't wanna fuck up. What if I forget what I'm supposed ta repeat?"

"Then the nice lady is gonna tell you again. Don't worry about it, might happen to me, too. I might be such a blubbering mess that I won't be able to get the words out." Teddy tried to calm him down. "Maybe you should have a shot of whiskey before you go?"

"Maybe. You ain't nervous at all?"

"A little. Mostly I just can't wait to finally be your wife."

"All ya want is that other ring." Daryl teased with a grin, making her laugh.

"Oh yeah, that too. Come on, let's eat and then we have to get ready." she kissed his lips once more, before she pushed him towards his chair and got him a cold drink. After lunch Daryl took a quick shower and then went into the bedroom to get dressed in his suit, while Teddy occupied the bathroom to change into her dress and redo her hair and make-up. Daryl was done pretty quickly and when he looked at himself in the mirror, he had to admit that he didn't look as stupid as he had feared. It was still a sight that took some getting used to and he was glad that he wouldn't have to wear it for very long. He plucked at his hair and tried to make it look a little less unruly, wondering if he should have cut it short after all. But then again, Teddy might have killed him for it. She loved his wild hair.

He heard the clacking of her heels against the tiles of the bathroom floor and a moment later the door opened. Daryl's breath rushed out of his lungs, when he saw her in her wedding attire for the first time. She was so pretty, he had no idea how he'd ever gotten her to marry him. He was speechless. To tell her that she looked pretty would sound pathetic and it wouldn't be enough, but unfortunately he wasn't able to come up with something fitting. His mind was gloriously blank. He registered her gasp and saw her eyes widen and fill with tears. He panicked for a second, not sure what was going on or why she was about to cry.

"Oh God, Daryl... look at you. So damn handsome. Shit I'm gonna cry, you look so unbelievably good, baby." She fanned herself and tried to blink away the tears, while Daryl looked down at himself.

"It ain't that stupid, I guess." he mumbled self-deprecatingly.

"It's not stupid at all. I knew you'd look good, but I had no idea you'd look this freaking amazing." she walked up to him and straightened his tie a little, before she looked him over with a proud smile. "Perfect."

"You look good, too." the words slipped out before he was able to stop himself. Good lord, he sounded absolutely pathetic.

"Thanks. Are we ready to go? Got the rings?" she asked and watched him pat down his pockets.

"Yeah, all here. Got the paperwork?"

"It's in my purse. Okay... here goes nothing I guess." she giggled, slowly getting a bit more nervous as well.

"Let's get hitched." Daryl smiled and took her hand to lead her out of the apartment and to her car.

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"Good afternoon, and welcome to the ceremony that will unite Daryl and Theodora in marriage. We gather here today to celebrate their union, and to honor their commitment to not just gazing at one another, but to looking outward together in the same direction.

Today Daryl and Theodora proclaim their love to the world, and we rejoice with and for them. In marriage, we give ourselves freely and generously into the hands of the one we love, and in doing so, each of us receives the love and trust of the other as our most precious gift. But even as that gift is shared by two people who are in love, it also touches the friends and family members who in various ways support and contribute to the relationship. All of you are Daryl's and Theodora's community, and each of you has played some part in bringing them to this moment. This is why gathering as a community is such an important part of a wedding ceremony. Because Daryl and Theodora are now taking

a new form as a married couple, and in this form, they become part of their community in a new way.

Daryl and Theodora, we are here to remember and rejoice with you and to recount with one another that it is love that guides us on our path, and to celebrate as you begin this journey together. It is in this spirit that you have come here to today to exchange these vows. Daryl, please repeat after me:

I, Daryl Dixon, take you, Theodora Marie Robertson to be my wife."

Daryl quickly cleared his throat, trying to focus on what the officiant was telling him to say. He blushed a little, uncomfortable by having to speak up in front of the whole family and having all their attention on him.

"I, Daryl Dixon, take you, Theodora Marie Robertson to be my wife." he looked at her, squeezing her hand in a death grip and relaxing a little when he saw her beautiful and proud smile, while he repeated after the officiant.

"I promise above all else to live in truth with you and to communicate fully and fearlessly. I will never keep secrets from you, that could harm you or our union. I give you my hand and my heart as a sanctuary of warmth and peace and pledge my love, devotion, faith and honor as I join my life to yours. In this moment I promise before these witnesses to love you and care for you all of our days. I accept you with your faults and your strengths, even as I offer myself with my faults and strengths. I promise to support you when you need support and to turn to you when I need support. I choose you as the one with whom I will spend my life."

By the time he was finished Teddy was crying and Daryl was so choked up that he was barely able to talk anymore. He was glad that it was now Teddy's turn. Her predictions were almost coming true, she was crying so much that she had to fight hard to get her words out. It didn't help that she heard her mother and Maggie sob quietly behind her.

"I, Theodora Marie Robertson, take you, Daryl Dixon to be my husband. I promise above all else to live in truth with you and to communicate fully and fearlessly. I will never keep secrets from you, that could harm you or our union. I give you my hand and my heart as a sanctuary of warmth and peace and pledge my love, devotion, faith and honor as I join my life to yours. In this moment I promise before these witnesses to love you and care for you all of our days. I accept you with your faults and your strengths, even as I offer myself with my faults and strengths. I promise to support you when you need support and to turn to you when I need support. I choose you as the one with whom I will spend my life."

"Daryl and Theodora, you have shared promises in our presence. Do you have rings you wish to exchange?" the officiant smile and looked to Daryl's right, where Merle was digging the ring out of his pants pocket, his trademark and ever-present shit-eating grin firmly in place.

"Here ya go, baby bro." he winked when he placed the ring for Teddy in Daryl's palm and Gerald gave Teddy the ring for Daryl.

"Daryl, will you give your ring to Theodora and repeat these words: I give you this ring as a reminder of the promises we exchanged today."

Daryl repeated the words, while he slipped her grandmother's wedding ring on Teddy's left ring finger, where it joined the engagement ring.

"Theodora, will you give your ring to Daryl and repeat these words: I give you this ring as a reminder of the promises we exchanged today."

Teddy said the words and slipped the simple silver wedding band on Daryl's left ring finger, and was barely able to keep herself from bouncing up and down on her chair. She knew it was done.

"Daryl and Theodora, although I'm officiating here today, it is not truly in my power to sanctify, legitimize or bless your relationship in any way, because the two of you have already done that in your hearts. So, by joining hands right now and looking into each others eyes, let it be known that you are joined, body and soul in this lifetime, and that this bond is sacred and eternal. And now that you have stood before me and exchanged these rings and these vows, and have agreed to be married according to the laws of the state of Georgia, it gives me great pleasure to pronounce that you are now husband and wife. You may kiss your bride."

"C'mon, little brother, lay a big one on yer wife." Merle, of course, wasn't able to stop himself from making at least one little comment to tease his brother. The others laughed, while Daryl scowled at him.

"Shut up, Merle." he growled, before he leaned towards his giggling wife and kissed her gently at first. Then he whispered 'mine' against her lips and followed up with a longer and harder kiss. Their family applauded and cheered, making the couple go red in the face.

"I love you so much." Teddy said with her beaming smile on her lips, while the officiant asked Gerald and Merle to sign the marriage certificate.

"Love ya, too." Daryl smiled. He didn't say it much, but he would be damned if he didn't say it to her on their wedding day.

"Mrs. Dixon? Would you please sign the certificate as well?" the officiant asked Teddy, who looked around and waited for someone to step up.

"Mrs. Dixon?" The officiant asked again and held the pen out towards Teddy.

"Oh my God, that's me!" Teddy exclaimed loudly, when she realized that she was Mrs. Dixon now. Everybody was laughing, causing Teddy to shield her blushing face for a moment in embarrassment. "Oh wow, that's gonna take some getting used to."

"I'll get ya used to it, no worries." Daryl winked and took the pen from her, after she had signed, so he could sign his name as well. He let his eyes look over at her signature, a primal rush of possessiveness paired with intense pride was rolling through his body at seeing his last name now accompanying her first name. No more Teddy Robertson. From now on she'd be Teddy Dixon for the rest of her life.

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Daryl finally understood Teddy's fascination with her engagement ring. Now that he was wearing his own wedding ring, he found his gaze drifting there constantly. He was a married man. He'd found his other half and he'd been smart enough to make her his. This was the visible symbol of their union and he would only ever take it off for work. He never thought he'd be the "ring-wearing kind", but once Teddy had asked him if he wanted his own ring, he'd found himself looking forward to having one.

It gave him an extra special kick to watch his be-ringed hand glide over her naked body. Everything looked even better now and made his possessiveness sky-rocket. His hand went from her jaw down to her throat, squeezing ever so lightly, before it slid lower. He stroked his palm over her soft breast, letting his silver wedding band get caught on her nipple on purpose, rubbing the smooth metal over the rosy, hardening peak in little circles.

"Look who's fascinated by his ring now." Teddy beamed, a tiny giggle leaving her chest. A sound Daryl quickly turned into a moan when he spread his fingers and squeezed her nipple between them.

"Yeah,... guess I get it now. Can't stop lookin'."

"Then you better do something to divert your attention from that ring." She grinned and threaded her fingers through his hair and pulled his lips down to her breast. Daryl gladly let his tongue toy with her nipple. It was more for himself than for her, he knew Teddy wasn't that sensitive in that area. She loved to watch him, though, and used the opportunity to skim her fingers over his wonderfully smooth and firm skin. Her hands slid over the vast expanse of his broad shoulders, just marveling at the terrific Dixon genes. He'd been a smoker for more than half his life and yet his skin looked like the skin of a fresh-faced college junior. She smoothed her palms over his biceps, feeling the defined and strong muscles underneath her fingertips. He felt so damn good. She was getting more turned on by the second, just from feeling him up like this. Daryl felt her starting to squirm under him and he gave her breast a squeeze with his hand and a nice and hard suck with his mouth, before he looked up at her with a mischievous grin.

"This ain't where ya really want ma mouth, is it darlin'?"

"Not really, no." Teddy caught her bottom lip between her teeth, while she watched him kiss his way towards her belly button.

"Then tell me, Mrs. Dixon... Where do you want my mouth?" he muttered with that deep and sensual voice of his, enjoying how it made goosebumps break out on his wife's skin.

"Well, Mr. Dixon, I can tell you that you are certainly getting closer." Teddy breathed and gently let her hands put some pressure on his head, trying to move him further down.

"Really? How bout here?" Daryl sank his teeth into the little curve where her waist flared out into her hips.

"Daaaryyyyl!" Teddy squealed and tried to wriggle away from him, but Daryl held her pinned in place by quickly wrapping both of his strong arms around her hips. He chuckled while he kept giving her little bites in that spot. Teddy laughed and giggled, still trying to get away from him somehow. "That tickles! Daryl stop... I can't breathe. Oh you're so evil! I'm gonna get you back for this. Daryyyyl!"

He finally tore his mouth away from the sensitive spot and looked up at her, grinning boyishly. "Oh, so that ain't the spot ya meant?"

"You know damn well that wasn't the spot, mister." Teddy sat up slightly, just enough to be able to cradle his face in her hands and lean down to kiss him lovingly. "Love you so damn much, Mr. Dixon."

"Love ya more, Mrs. Dixon." he grinned and kissed her back, letting his tongue dip into her mouth to tease hers. "Now lay back and lemme take care of ya."

"Not gonna object to that." Teddy smiled and laid back down, taking a deep breath in, when she felt his hot breath ghosting over her intimate parts. She shivered in anticipation as he used both of his thumbs to part her , revealing her clit to his hungry eyes.

"Pretty as a picture." he marveled and licked his lips, before lowering his head. His tongue darted out of his mouth, giving her throbbing nub, little, teasing flicks. Enough to make her whimper and buck against his mouth, but not enough to create the friction she craved.

"You're teasing..."

"Just enjoying the goods, darlin'. Relax. You know that you always get what you want."

"But you're making me wait."

"Not long, I promise." he winked up at her. He wouldn't be able to keep himself from taking her, too much longer, either. He was eager to be as close to her as possible, but he wanted to warm her up a little more first. Two fingers slowly entered her, twisting and turning languidly inside of her, before withdrawing again. "Almost ready." Daryl grinned and just a second later, he licked her again, letting his tongue stroke her sensitive flesh firmer this time.

"Yes, that's it, honey." she moaned and buried her fingers in his thick hair again, pulling his face hard against her. Daryl groaned in response, the sound and the feeling of the vibrations hitting her, making the heat level inside her body soar. "Don't stop, don't stop..."

Daryl let his fingers penetrate her again, pushing them in deeply, giving her clenching muscles something to squeeze, something they were always eager to do. He moved them in and out with short, jerky movements, mirroring the way he was sucking on her clit now, with hard and rhythmic pulls of his mouth.

"ohgodohgodohgodohgodohgod OH GOD!" Daryl's skilled fingers and lips made Teddy come apart quickly. The sound of her chanting that got more and more high-pitched until it ended in a shout of pleasure was music to his ears. The first time he'd made his WIFE cum. It made his cock twitch, the urge to bury himself inside of her balls-deep, claiming her as his anew, was burning in his veins. Had been since the moment he'd kissed her after they had been pronounced husband and wife and now it was finally time to give in to his urges.

He moved back up, kissing her passionately, while Teddy wrapped her legs around his waist. Daryl reached down and positioned the tip of his erection at her entrance, and with one smooth and practiced thrust, he slid inside of her gloriously deep. He pushed his hands between the mattress and her body and Teddy lifted herself up a little, so Daryl could wrap his arms around her. He hugged her tightly to his body, never once breaking their ardent kiss, they were as close as two human beings could possibly be, but he still couldn't get enough. He would never get enough of her, he would always want more, more, more. He moved slowly in and out of her, savoring the sensation of feeling her soft, wet walls envelop him inch by inch, and how she squeezed her muscles around him every time he pulled back out, unwilling to let him go.

Teddy mimicked him, wrapping her arms tightly around his shoulders, enjoying being held like this and enjoying holding him like that. She pulled away from the kiss and looked into his beautiful blue eyes, that look of adoration, which Daryl loved so much, was displayed in her own.

"Can't believe we really did it." she smiled under her breath.

"And you wanted ta wait." he smirked, his breath labored while he kept moving slowly.

"Good thing you convinced me not to."

"Love ya so fuckin' much, girl. Ya mean the world ta me."

"I know. Just like you are everything to me, baby."

"Mine."

"Yours. Forever."

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They didn't like it much, but the next day it was back to business as usual. They both couldn't afford to take time off, so the next morning they got ready for work as usual. Daryl sighed when he took his wedding ring off at breakfast and put it in his pants pocket.

"Maybe you should get a necklace for it. You know, for work."

"Nah, ain't the necklace wearing-type."

"You thought you wouldn't be the ring wearing-type, either and now look at you." Teddy smirked, making Daryl glare at her. He was not in a good mood. If it was up to him he'd stay in and hide out with her for the whole day. Teddy leaned over the table and kissed him sweetly. "Lighten up, my love. Just a couple of hours and we are together again."

"Yeah, but you'll be late 'cause of those damn errands ya have ta run."

"Good thing you have the 'kids' to keep you company until I'm back."

"Right... maybe a tattoo." he mused out loud and looked back down to his now naked ring finger.

"Yeah, maybe. You'll figure it out. I have to get going. Have a nice day, baby." she kissed him and cuddled Roxy and kissed Snoopy on the top of his head to say goodbye to them, too.

"Don't forget that you have to sign with Dixon now." Daryl shouted after her, before she closed the front door.

At night when she came back home she found Daryl laying on the couch, gigantic Roxy on top of him in his arms and Snoopy curled up in the crook of his neck on the pillow he was resting his head on. The whole scene was putting a huge smile on her face.

"Awwww, you guys are so darn cute. I could kiss you all over." she walked over to the couch and bend down, kissing Daryl first, before she pressed a gentle kiss on their furry babies. "Isn't she a little heavy by now?

"Nah, weighs about as much as you do from the feel of it."

"No more space for momma to cuddle, huh?" she mock-complained while she scratched Roxy behind the ear. She had her big head cuddled against Daryl's chest and closed her eyes in enjoyment when Teddy petted her.

"I can send her to her bed."

"No, no! I didn't mean it like that. You guys look so comfy all cuddled up. Stay, I'll get changed and make dinner."

"Really? That's how ya wanna start married life? Torturing me?" Daryl made a face and laughed when Teddy pinched his nipple. "Hey, watch it. That's sensitive."

"That's why I did it. Don't worry, I'll just throw some chicken wings and fries in the oven. Nothing to ruin there." she placated him.

"Sounds good. How was work?"

"Same old, same old. How was yours? How's Billy doing?"

"Dunno. He still steers clear of me for the most part. Looked fucking tired, but that ain't news."

"Maggie is in pain and is barely able to sleep anymore and he worries. All natural and part of the oh so beautiful miracle of birth. Not that beautiful during the past couple of weeks." Teddy laughed.

"Was it the same for you?"

"No, I got pretty lucky. I was able to sleep well up until week 35, I think. I had this great pillow that cushioned my belly perfectly and took some pressure off my hips as well. It was really expensive, but in the end it was worth every penny. Later I used it to cradle Milo when I nursed him. Gosh, but my boobs hurt something awful. My eyes were watering it was so bad. The only thing that helped was laying down on my side, the opposite side of the breast that hurt. So weird."

"But they were big, right?" Daryl grinned like the little macho he sometimes was, when he remembered the one picture he had seen of her in Milo's baby album.

"Oh yeah, I went from a B-cup up to a DD-cup during pregnancy, and after the milk came in I was an E/F for a while." Teddy explained, watching the grin widen on Daryl's face.

"Shit. Ain't got no pictures I s'ppose?"

"I do, but you can barely see anything, because I used to wear all these really baggy shirts. I wasn't comfortable with those gigantic knockers at all. Now wipe that goofy grin off your face. Want me to get a boob job?" she asked jokingly.

"Hell no. I like 'em natural. Yours are perfect the way they are anyway."

"Thanks, baby. Good to know." she giggled and kissed him once more, but was soon shooed away by Roxy's wet nose. "Yes I know, no one is allowed to kiss Daddy, but you. Sorry, baby girl."

"That's right. Now fix me some dinner woman." He winked and slapped her ass, when she walked away. He watched her until she disappeared out of sight, and sighed contentedly. Life was pretty damn perfect these days.

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**Thank you for reading and your support. The next chapter is almost finished and will be posted soon. I think you will hate and like it at the same time. It will also have a big authors note concerning future chapters, so please don't skip it;-)  
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**I'm eternally grateful to my reviewers for leaving me their feedback and often supply me with great ideas:**

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	27. Chapter 27

**AN: So, where to start? There will be things happening in this and upcoming chapters, that might make you freak out a little. Probably not all of you, but I know some of you are really invested in these characters, so I wanna say some things, to maybe ease your mind a bit. While writing all of my stories, it is extremely important to me to keep Daryl as much in character as possible. Sometimes I have to take some artistic liberties, because we don't know (yet) how he really reacts in romantic situations, but I think I am doing okay on that. Anyway, the point is, that in order for Daryl to stay in character and not compromise my own beliefs about him, I have to set some things in motion so other things can play out right. You will see what I mean as the story progresses. I don't wanna give too much away. What I call "the endgame" is about to be put in motion. That does NOT mean, that the story is gonna end within the next two or three chapters, Teddy and Daryl still have some stuff to do before the end comes around. I am merely putting things in place right now, so we get a hopefully satisfying ending. **

**Some of you might not like certain things that are about to happen, (maybe what you think will happen, won't even happen at all, who knows) but please keep in mind, that I am not doing it, to make the characters hardened or hurt the relationship. Actually I am trying to do the exact opposite, my goal is to nurture and strengthen their relationship right up until the end. Like I said, some things will have to happen in order to make other things possible and at the same time keep Daryl true to himself, so don't get too mad at me, and also don't expect things to be too heavy and depressing from now on. I try to keep it mixed up and have a bit of everything.**

**I don't know how many chapters it's going to be until the end, but i will certainly try to "warn" you ahead of time. After this story I might take a little break to get my creative juices flowing again and I will hopefully come up with a good idea for a sequel to this story, because I might not be ready to say goodbye to these characters yet, either. As always, input is always appreciated and I always try to incorporate your ideas into this story. If you have questions, don't be afraid to ask, but be aware that I won't spoil anything;-)**

**Also you guys who send me things on tumblr: You rock! Thank you so much for being a part of this experience with me. It is so surreal that you find things on the internet and think of my little story. You make my day!**

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Chapter 27

They enjoyed their married bliss for a whole week, until the next Monday, when Teddy came home from work. Daryl knew something was wrong the minute she entered the apartment. Usually when Roxy, and now Snoopy, raced towards the front door to greet Momma, her cheerful voice and laughter would be heard echoing throughout the apartment. This time he heard something completely unfamiliar, a tired and shaky voice, that said "Sorry babies, not today. Momma can't..."

Daryl frowned and got up from his chair to go investigate. He didn't like what he found one bit. Teddy was walking over to the couch on shaky legs, her face scrunching up in pain with every step. Her naturally tan complexion was sickly pale and Daryl swore she looked like she was having cold sweats.

"Girl? What the hell?" he reached her before she was able to reach the couch and cradled her face in his strong hands, his concerned gaze boring into her glassy eyes.

"I don't feel so good." she stated the obvious. She had been tired after waking up that morning and hadn't been in too much of a good mood, but everything seemed fine, until that unbelievably uncomfortable pain had started to build in her lower abdomen. She was a doctor, she knew she shouldn't jump to conclusions, but this pain still made her worry a little. Usually it meant, that something was different in there. She had no idea that an ovary could hurt this damn much. Every step she took felt like it was causing an earthquake in there, like her right ovary was vibrating and emitting waves of hot, sharp pains.

"What's wrong? You getting sick? You hurtin'?" Daryl asked frantically while he looked her over.

"It hurts a bit,... maybe I'm looking at the period from hell this month." Teddy explained and took a deep breath, trying to relax herself.

"But ya ain't never been like this before..." Daryl trailed off, while his brows knit in confusion.

"Nope. Usually doesn't hurt like this. That's new. At least for me." Teddy tried to make her way past him. All she wanted was to take some ibuprofen and sink into the comfy heaven called couch.

"We're going to the hospital." Daryl announced and turned her right around.

"No. No, come on. I just need to lay down and rest a little. I'll be fine tomorrow." Teddy fought weakly against his grip on her arms.

"Teddy, no discussion, we're going. Ya said it yourself, this ain't normal. Not for you. Get moving, we're losing daylight here." Daryl said forcefully. He gripped her tightly, but walked slowly when he realized that walking caused her pain. His stomach clenched with worry and he shook his head with a deep sigh, when fear gripped at his insides. "Shit, Teddy. This don't look good. Are ya even close to bein' on yer rag?"

"Not really, but it's gonna be fine, baby. Just stupid female stuff." Teddy knew he was freaked out, it was clear as day on his face. She had an idea of what could be causing the problems inside her body and while it didn't worry her as a physician, it worried her as Daryl's wife, because she was pretty sure Daryl would freak out, if her predictions would come true. "We really don't have to go. I'm sure I'll be fine again tomorrow."

"I said no discussion, didn't I?" Daryl didn't allow further arguing and led her to his truck. The memories of her accident were still fresh on his mind and even though he was no fan of hospitals, he couldn't be careful enough where Teddy was concerned. He had to take her to get that pain checked out and hear from another doctor that everything was going to be fine.

######## ######## ####### ####### ###### ######

"Okay, there is definitely a cyst on your right ovary, Dr. Dixon." the gynecologist, Dr. Hainesworth, informed Teddy while she looked at the ultrasound image on the screen. Teddy instantly felt Daryl's grip on her hand tighten painfully. His other hand was brought up to his mouth, chewing on the cuticle of his thumb.

"That ain't good, right?" he asked the older woman nervously.

"Well, it could actually be perfectly normal. It could be, what we call a 'functional ovarian cyst'. Those cysts are related to ovulation and the whole menstrual cycle and usually disappear on its on within the next few cycles." the doctor explained to him.

"But?"

"But it is unusual in a woman that takes oral contraceptives. See, oral contraceptives work by preventing an ovulation and these woman usually don't have this kind of functional ovarian cysts."

"So it's bad. Is it this cancer shit?"

"Daryl, it's not cancer..." Teddy tried to placate Daryl, who was chewing his thumb raw.

"It could be cancerous." The doctor confirmed, making Teddy roll her eyes in exasperation. Did the woman not notice that she was trying to calm her husband down instead of making him freak out? "But at this point we don't have reason to suspect anything bad. It looks like it is a functional ovarian cyst, there doesn't seem to be solid tissue in there-"

"But ya jus' said that women like her don't have those." Daryl interrupted her, the volume of his voice rising. He didn't get what that woman was saying and it made him angry.

"Usually they don't, Mr. Dixon, but the female's reproductive system is never an exact science. Things that are out of the ordinary happen a lot without real explanation. That's just hormones at play. Ask your wife, she will tell you the same thing. So for now we won't treat it as cancer, but we will monitor it." The doctor turned her attention back to Teddy. "You know how to proceed?"

"Yes, make another appointment in 4-6 weeks and if the pain gets stronger or doesn't subside at all I'll come back in earlier." Teddy recited what she had told female patients a hundred times.

"Exactly. Don't worry, Mr. Dixon. Your wife will be fine."

######## ####### ######## ######## ####### ########

"Daryl, I love you, but if you don't stop looking at me like that, so help me God, I will smack you upside the head."

"Sorry for givin' a fucking damn!" he spat upset, turning his attention back to the TV.

"You're looking at me like I'm about to drop dead any second now. I told you and the doctor told you, it's nothing bad."

"Nah, the doc said it could be something bad."

"And out of everything she said that's what you chose to focus on? Awesome. You gonna be like this for the next four weeks? Because then I might seriously consider moving in with my parents until the next appointment." Teddy had started shouting right along with him. She needed a moment to realize that it wouldn't get her anywhere, and she forced herself to calm down, before she opened her mouth again. She lifted his arm and put it around her own shoulders so she could press herself against his side and kissed him gently. "Listen, my love. It's nothing bad. She said it looked like fluid in there and those cysts are pretty common for a lot of women."

"But it ain't common for you, 'cause you're on birth control she said." Daryl was quick to argue, not quite willing to see the positive side of things, mostly because he was scared to death and didn't understand what was going on in a woman's body.

"That's true, but like with everything else, there are exceptions. We are ruled by hormones and they can do a ton of things. Ovarian cancer is very rare in women my age and we also don't have it in my family. We only have bad hearts. It would be more likely for me to drop dead from too much fatty food or excessive exercise."

"Don't fucking tell me ya have a heart condition." Daryl's eyes widened noticeably and Teddy didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He was so cute, but at the same time obviously scared.

"No, I'm good. Not even high blood pressure. My parents both have bad hearts. My father had a mild heart attack 20 years ago and my mother's heart has suffered from the high blood pressure that she's had forever. Billy has Arrythmia, but so far my heart is as healthy as can be."

"That ain't helpin at all." Daryl sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger, when he felt a headache starting to build.

"What I was trying to say is: I'm not worried. And if I'm not worried, there is no need for you to be worried. Okay?"

"I can't help it, alright? I still dream about that moment I saw ya laying there next to the road, bleeding and with yer arm all fucked up. I'm scared of losing you every goddamn day and this just confirms that I'm right to be scared. We just ain't catchin' a break, just when things go jus' right... We been married for a fucking week. Seriously? That's all we fucking get?"

"No, it's not all we get. Baby, I know this is scary to you and I understand that you are freaking out a bit, but please trust me. I'm not going anywhere. I promise. Even if it does turn out to be cancer, that still doesn't mean I'm dying. In that case it got caught early, they will give me a hysterectomy and then some chemo. Yes it would suck big time, but it wouldn't have to end in death. I promised I'd never lie to you, remember? It's the truth, I'll be fine." she kissed him again and this time Daryl didn't let her pull away too quickly. He hugged her to him and poured all he had into the kiss, showing her what he wasn't good at expressing verbally. He loved her more than anything and was scared that she was really, really sick. He couldn't lose her. He'd fucking hang himself. He pulled away soon, knowing she still felt shitty and tired and just wanted to rest.

"Painkillers working?"

"Yes. That's a good sign, too. It was probably just stretching pains from that cyst popping up. Please stop worrying." She smiled and snuggled her head into his shoulder. Daryl pulled her into his arms completely, holding her in his lap like a baby. He wanted to wrap himself around her like a safety blanket, to protect her from all this crap.

####### ######## ######## ######## ######## ########

The next day the pain was still there, but it had dulled considerably and was now very bearable. She still didn't feel very well, though, but that also got better in the next couple of days and by the time the weekend rolled around, she was as good as new. They had told her parents, but both Bernadette and Gerald knew that women just went through crazy shit sometimes and they weren't worried either, so Daryl started to relax again. Still, he knew that a little bit of concern would linger right beneath the surface until the next appointment with her doctor.

Teddy knew just the cure for him to get himself calm and centered again: A weekend in the woods. They asked Teddy's parents to look after Snoopy for two days, packed up their bows, sleeping bags and the food and water they'd need for themselves and Roxy, and off they went. She still didn't know what it was about the woods, but as soon as they got out of the car, Daryl changed. He was so much more at ease out here, much more confident. Almost like he was when they were in bed together: Outgoing, dominant, calm and collected, his nervous habits stayed almost completely back in Jasper every single time they came here. She wished she could just say 'BOOM, here's your house!' and their perfect dream house would be out here, ready for them to move their little family in, but unfortunately they weren't there yet by a long shot. It hurt her to think that they might not ever have enough money to do it and that he would have to live in the town forever. She knew for sure that his life would improve vastly if he would live in a home surrounded by nothing but nature.

They had gone for a nice, long walk first and Teddy had been too deep in thought to realize, that he seemed to have a fixed destination in mind. Suddenly he stopped and looked at her with that cute little half-smile of his.

"Remember this?" he asked and looked down at something on the ground. Teddy took a short moment to take in her surroundings, before her eyes fell on the object he was looking at. A tree log, just big enough for one person to sit on, hidden behind a big sturdy tree. A huge smile appeared on Teddy's face when the memories related to that log came back to her.

"How can I forget? This is where we kissed for the very first time. Our first and pretty much only date." she smiled dreamily and walked closer, touching the tree trunk, which Daryl had been leaning back against back then, almost reverently.

"Didn't need more than one, did we?" he grinned and sat down on the log and leaned back against the tree.

"No, we did not. It was just perfect."

"Shit, feels like it was yesterday, don't it. Been almost a year." he mumbled in disbelief, while he dodged Roxy's attempts to lick his face. "Down, girl. Sit."

When Roxy obediently sat next to the log, Daryl motioned for Teddy to join him and sit on his lap.

"It does feel like that." She agreed while she sat sideways on his lap and slung her arm around his shoulders, her fingers seeking out the hair at the back of his neck immediately, recreating the first moment they've ever been close like this. "Almost exactly 9 months ago. Still some time until it's been a full year." she corrected him and jumped slightly with a giggle, when he poked her in the ribs.

"Smartass. But it's been almost a full year since I first saw ya. In that bakery."

"That's true. That was in February."

"February 22nd." Daryl mumbled absently, while he thought back to that morning. He'd been in such a fucked up place back then. All alone, missing his brother, who'd been in jail, not knowing what to do with himself, in a shitty, dark and rank apartment.

"Oh my God, you seriously remember the date? I didn't even remember that." Teddy gaped at him in surprise.

"Won't ever forget, girl. Never. Remember the exact day of this first date?" he tested her.

"That's one I'll never forget. April 12th..."

"April 12th, that's right. Already knew that night, that you was the one for me. Ya were able ta handle me. When I push, you push back,... you make the effort, instead of just walking away, thinking that I ain't worth the trouble."

"You're worth every trouble, baby. I knew you were special. Turns out I'm smart after all, because here we are, joined forever and I couldn't be happier." she smiled. Daryl returned the smile, but he knew she would realize that it was forced. To avoid that, he quickly pulled her in for a kiss. He crashed his lips to hers, parting them with his tongue, letting it mate with hers inside the hot sweet cavern of her mouth. Just like back then, the animal inside of him roared to life, eager to claim her, mark her and make her his once again, but after all these months he was able to control those strong urges better and release that primal beast inside of him at will only. He knew she loved it and was always able to take what he gave, but still, he worried about going too far and hurting her. A fear that would surely never fully disappear. The thought of her being gone one day ripped his heart out. She was his other half, if she was gone, it would feel like half of him would be gone. There would be no sense in going on.

Teddy soon felt his grip on her tighten almost painfully. His lips were pressing against hers so hard that it seemed like he wanted to crawl inside her body through her mouth. She was startled, when she felt wetness against her cheek, and she quickly pulled away.

"Daryl..." she looked at him confused while her thumb gently wiped away the tear that had spilled out of his eye.

"I can't lose ya, Teddy." his voice was a heart-wrenching whisper and the intensity of his eyes tugged at her heartstrings.

"You won't. I'm fine, baby. I'm already feeling better." she assured him and quickly wiped the second tear from his face.

"You're still tired a lot. More than before. And you get dizzy a lot."

"Daryl, I explained this before. It's just hormones, remember? Something is different, so the body reacts and gets a little out of whack. It might take a couple more weeks until it all goes completely back to normal. Unfortunately those cysts don't disappear over night. It takes time and until it happens, my body might react some more, but it is nothing to worry about anymore. There's almost no more pain. I haven't had to swallow a painkiller in three days. It's all good." Teddy looked him directly in the eyes while she said it, trying to get him to believe her. She stroked her thumbs along his cheekbones softly and kissed the tip of his nose with a smile. "Come one, none of that out here. That's not what we are here for. Keep this up and I might feel like you took me to this place to say goodbye." she giggled, making Daryl's eyes narrow.

"Ain't funny." he grumbled.

"You worry too much. It's too early for you to start a death-watch. I promised I'd outlive you and I will." she winked and leaned closer, peppering his face with little kisses. "Now *kiss* show *kiss* me *kiss* that *kiss* gorgeous *kiss* smile *kiss* of *kiss* yours *kiss* or I pull out the big guns and tickle you to the ground and have Roxy lick your face clean."

Daryl didn't want to, but he couldn't help the smile that tugged up the corners of his mouth, and eventually he had to give in. "You're unbelievable."

"So are you." Teddy grinned, before she pointed at Roxy. "And so is she. Look how good she is. Didn't nudge us apart."

"Yeah, all that practice is paying off. She's a quick learner, too. Now get up, I wanna do something." Daryl gave her one more kiss, before he made her stand up. He got up from the log and pulled his buck knife from its sheath, which was attached to his belt. Then he knelt on the log with one knee and started carving something into the bark of the tree.

"Carving our initials in there?" Teddy asked when she stepped up behind him, resting her hands on his broad shoulders while he worked.

"This is our tree now. Better mark it." he grunted and continued his work. Teddy busied herself with playing with the wispy strands of his hair. When he was done, the tree was adorned by a heart, pierced by an arrow and their initials T+D in it.

"You're my little 'Undercover Romantic'." Teddy snickered, kissing the top of his head before he had a chance to get back up. She took her Iphone out of the pocket of her hoodie and quickly snapped a picture, and while he was busy sheathing his knife again and looking at his artwork, she snapped a picture of him. "YES! Finally got you!" she jumped up and down triumphantly. Daryl was so camera shy it was ridiculous. The only pictures she had of him were the one from Billy's wedding and the one from their own. He dodged her attempts of getting a nice shot of him constantly.

"You delete that. Gimme that phone." he reached out, but she quickly took a couple of steps back.

"Nope. I don't know why I'm not allowed to have some pics of you. You take tons of me! I wanna be able to sit at work at lunch and look at you on my phone whenever I feel like it. I'm your wife, I've seen everything, in case you forgot... so what's so bad about letting me take a picture?"

"Jus' don't like it. I look stupid."

"Trust me, you don't." she slipped the phone back into the pocket of her hoodie. "We going back to the truck now?"

"Yeah. Come on, this way." he took her hand back in his, clicking his tongue to signal Roxy to follow them. They didn't go very far until he pointed at another tree. "Remember that one, too?"

"Not really, unfortunately they all look the same to me, but if you're asking, I'm guessing that me and my face are intimately familiar with this tree?"

"Very much so." Daryl laughed lightly. He stepped behind her, his hands on her shoulders and slowly gliding down her arms, until he had her much smaller hands in his. He guided them up, placing them against the tree. She felt his tongue flick at her earlobe, before he tugged on it with his teeth. "This yer memory?" he murmured, his voice deepening as his hot breath fanned across her neck.

"A little,... keep trying." she said under her breath and closed her eyes, when his mouth dropped to the junction between shoulder and neck, pressing hot open-mouthed kisses all the way up to that sensitive spot just below her ear. A low moan left her mouth, when he licked the same trail down to her shoulder and back up, finishing off with a gentle bite, that had her shuddering with arousal. Daryl let go of her hands and pushed his own underneath her warm hoodie, gliding up over the warm skin of her belly, making her jump a little, because his hands were a bit cold at first. He cupped her bra-covered breasts, squeezing and pushing them together, his thumbs teasing over her nipples through the silky fabric and scratching lightly with his thumb nail, when he felt them harden. Teddy wasn't very responsive when he played with her bare tits, but she really got going, when she received indirect stimulation through her bra. It had taken them both a lot of time to figure that one out. It had been more of a recent and accidental discovery, but now that he knew, he was using it to his advantage. He was a breast-man after all.

He grinned proudly against her neck, when she shuddered again and arched her back, pressing her mounds harder into his hands. He sank his teeth into her skin with a growl, while he plucked at the hard peaks, drawing a delicious, high-pitched moan from his wife, before he went back to circling them and scratching them lightly.

"You wet yet, darlin'?" he growled against her ear and pushed his hips into hers, when he felt her grind her ass back into him.

"Why don't you find out?" Teddy gasped and used the leverage of her hands against the rough bark of the tree, to push her body back into his hard. Daryl pulled his hands out from underneath her sweater, one hand smacking her ass with one swift movement, while the other moved to her throat, holding her, using just the slightest bit of pressure.

"Look who's getting' sassy. Better watch it, girl. Don't want me to put you over my knee out here in them woods, where fellow hunters could just come walking by, coming to prep their blinds, do ya?" the image that his words helped forming in her head, paired with that raspy voice of his made every muscle in her lower abdomen clench pleasurably in anticipation. She felt that tingle deep inside her core, that told her that once he touched her, he would indeed find her pretty wet. She knew his own muscles would clench at that discovery, making his cock jump and have his balls release a bit of pre-cum. The knowledge and the new image in her head caused that tingle to get stronger and she mewled in frustration when he wedged his leg between hers, spreading them, when she was just about to press her thighs together for some friction, while that erotic vicious circle was making its rounds inside her head and her body.

"You would never do that. Out in public..." Teddy moaned helplessly, while Daryl unbuttoned her jeans and pulled the zipper down.

"We're in public right now, ain't we? Fucked ya in public before, am about to do it again, so what would keep me from spankin' ya out here, too? Ain't MY naked ass people would see. Just yours, dirty girl." his fingers delved into her underwear and as predicted, he groaned and thrust his hard cock against her ass, when he felt her moist and ready underneath his fingertips.

"Damn, woman. You're soaked. All the way up to yer lil' pearl up here." he said lowly into her ear, and Teddy knew he wasn't lying, when his middle finger slipped through her folds with ease and rubbed the wet tip directly over her clit. It was nice and slippery and allowed him to make smooth long strokes up and down.

"Oh dear God!" Teddy's moan came out strangled, while she gasped for air. Her knees buckled at the sudden onslaught of white-hot pleasure he was creating and she held on to the tree for dear life. Daryl still had his other hand around her throat and he used it to make her tilt her head back, arching her neck, so that her head was stretched back so far it was resting against his shoulder and he was able to see her aroused facial expressions.

"So swollen already, babe. Ya really like getting fingered in public, don't ya?"

"So good, Daryl. It's so good. Don't stop sogoodsogoodsogood." Teddy was whining, sounding like she was in agony, but she was anything but. She was shaking hard and her legs threatened to give out. Small tears were gathering at the corner of her eyes, because the friction and the resulting pleasure were so damn intense.

"Ya gon' be a good little slut for me? Gonna cum on my fingers?" Teddy nodded her head. She practically felt herself swelling against his fingers, she didn't remember ever feeling like this before, but admittedly, at this point it would be a miracle if she would be able to remember her name. Suddenly all that delicious torture stopped and her eyes blinked open in confusion.

"Wha... no, Daryl, please..."

"Then answer me. Only good girls get rewards." he grinned into her ear, his voice thick with his own arousal. "Fuck. Yes, yes I'm gonna cum. Please don't stop, baby. Make me cum please. Please."

"Fucking hot when ya beg." he groaned and resumed his ministrations, a chuckle full of male pride escaping him when Teddy sobbed in relief. He removed the hand on her throat briefly to tug down her jeans and underwear, and he was thankful that they were loose enough to drop down to her knees without him having to struggle all that much. After that he unbuckled his belt and opened his own pants, pushing them down over his ass. He positioned her, so he could line up his cock with her opening, pushing the tip in a little bit, before his hand went back to her throat. "Feel that? Want that inside'a ya?"

"Yes, please,... please, I need to cum." Teddy moaned, desperately moving her hips, trying to get him to penetrate her more.

"And I need you to cum before you get this inside of ya all the way. Come on, girl. I know you're close. I can feel it. You're clutching ma dick already and I'm barely in. Come on, dirty girl, give it up." he rubbed her harder and faster, gritting his teeth in his own efforts to hold out and not thrust himself inside of her immediately. He pinched her clit between his middle and forefinger and shook them hard from side to side and finally Teddy came with a loud yell, that reverberated through Daryl's hand on her throat. After a couple of hard contractions, Daryl pushed himself inside of her with one hard, long stroke until he hit the end of her, making her yell again and prolonging her climax a little bit.

"Fuck yes,... Jesus fucking Christ..." his eyes almost rolled back into his head, when he felt her pussy fluttering and clenching around his length. He couldn't get enough of it, it was like using the vibrator on her all over again, so he kept his fingers where they were and kept rubbing her.

"Oh God oh God oh God oh fucking... Daryl!" Teddy shouted loudly in pleasure when he just kept going, but now he was also banging her hard and fast with his wonderful cock and within a minute, she was coming a second time, slumping forward against the tree. She was shaking even harder, the only thing keeping her up were his hand around her throat and his dick that was pummeling into her mercilessly. "Stop. I can't... oh God, Daryl please. You're killing me." Teddy begged when he still kept rubbing her.

"Oh yes, ya can... I've seen it... Come on, baby girl. Third time's the charm." he ground out between clenched jaws.

"Oh no no no no no... Daryl... no... oh fuck don't stop, don't stop, don't stop oooohh fuuuuck!" she was merely whimpering by now, her voice cracking, when her third orgasm flowed through her like a slow rolling wave of intense pleasure. Her pelvis wasn't jerking anymore, it was vibrating, the contractions of her walls like short intense bursts around his dick.

"Such a good girl. Such a fucking good girl,... " he groaned, his own neck arching, pressing his head back. His face was scrunched up in pleasure, lips pulled back in a snarl, revealing gritted teeth, just a moment, before his features relaxed and his jaws went slack, a deep groan leaving him, while he spilled himself deep inside of her. A handful of thrusts later, they both sank to their knees, desperately gasping for air. His chest was pressed firmly against her back, his hands had left their previous places, so he could wrap his arms around her tightly, pressing her to him while his lips pressed breathless kisses against her neck. "You okay, darlin'? Anything hurtin'?" he whispered against her skin.

"Just some pinching, like last time. Nothing too bad." she reassured him.

"Love ya." he mumbled quietly, kissing her cheek until she turned her head and kissed his lips with all the love she had for him.

"Same here. We gotta get going. Gotta pee and freshen up. God and I'm hungry now." she giggled.

"Yeah, me too. Come on then." he pulled out of her and got up on shaky legs, before he helped her up and they got fully dressed again and went back to their truck for a snack.

####### ####### ####### ####### ###### ######

After that weekend, Daryl finally got back to normal. He was still worried, but he wasn't hovering over her like a worried mother hen all the time anymore. It concerned him that Teddy was still so tired and pale and that she kept having little pains here and there, but he wasn't going out of his mind with worry anymore. Everybody kept telling him she would be fine and he started to believe it. He was insanely happy when she got her period, because he knew that, as soon as it was over, she could go see her doctor again and they could find out if that thing on her ovary had gone away or at least gotten smaller.

"Made an appointment for next Tuesday." Teddy announced after she had hung up the phone.

"Good." Daryl nodded with satisfaction. "Think it'll be gone?"

"Maybe not completely, but I'm sure it's gotten smaller." She kissed his temple in passing on her way to the fridge. "So how about we order in? I don't want us to hang out in the kitchen, I just wanna be a lazy ass on the sofa with you."

"Nah, short on cash from paying all the stuff for the wedding. The suit I'll never wear again and them damn dress shoes..."

"Are you still upset about that? You looked so incredibly handsome baby. I love you even more for wearing it for me."

"Thought ya said I always look good ta you?" he pouted with a frown.

"You do, that was just another unbelievably handsome side to you. Now stop pouting and let's choose a menu."

"I'll cook. Gotta save up again."

"I got money, I can pay for it. Let's just be lazy today."

"I said no."

"And I said yes. And there was nothing about obeying you in our vows." she joked, but Daryl didn't find it amusing at all.

"I said no and that's fucking end of story. We ain't going to throw money around if we got food at home."

"It's not gonna spoil if it stays in the fridge one day longer. I want some Greek food, come on, I'll buy. What's the big deal? I can buy us dinner once a year, right?"

"No, it ain't right. Ain't gonna have you buying my fucking food! Every couple of months ya fucking do this. Ya try to take this one thing away from me. The only thing I can provide for ya. It's gonna fucking stop NOW!" his temper was coming out of nowhere, once again demonstrating just how sensitive he was about that topic.

"Good Lord, are we really still on that? I'm not trying to take away anything from you. What, I'm not allowed to treat you at all? I can't ever buy anything for you so you won't feel emasculated? I told you a million times that you provide more than just food. Money isn't everything, Daryl. It's not everything to me and you should know that by now. You think your dick's gonna fall off if you eat something *I* paid for? That's bullshit. Surely your feeling like a man does not solely rely on you cooking for me every day. You are my husband and not my personal chef. If anything makes you feel like a man it should be the way you make me melt like butter in the sun by just looking at me or what you can do to me in bed, and not that you provide meals for me. Goddamnit Daryl, get your head out of your ass."

"No, ain't taking your money. Order for yourself, but I'll cook myself something." he replied stubbornly, even though he knew she had a point. Teddy took a deep breath and counted to ten, to keep herself from exploding, but it wasn't working.

"I've had enough of that crap. Grab your shit, we're going to the bank." she yelled and left the kitchen. Daryl frowned and followed her quickly.

"What?"

"I've had enough of this 'your money, my money' nonsense. Enough of this 'you're never gonna be able to provide for me' bullshit. This is not how it works. I don't provide for you and you don't provide for me. We provide for each other, Daryl. We are married now, our lives are joined and so will be our bank accounts after this afternoon. Both our paychecks will go into one single account and it will be OUR fucking money and I never ever wanna have another discussion about you feeling shitty because I make more money. It won't ever matter anymore after today. One pot we both spend from as we see fit. No feeling guilty or shitty about taking money out of it. You won't be taking my money, you will be taking our money. And that's that. And guess fucking what? It's not up for discussion! Now grab your all your fucking bank stuff. I mean it."

Daryl was speechless. He had never heard her yell like that before and he'd never seen her that angry. It turned him on. He stalked towards her and grabbed her, slinging his arms around her tightly to make an escape impossible. He kissed her roughly, nipping at her lips and tugging at her bottom lip with his teeth.

"Daryl, no... I mean it..." Teddy pulled her head back, pressing the words out between the attacks of his lips and tongue. Daryl pulled away from her with a smirk.

"Say 'all your fucking bank stuff' again."

Teddy narrowed her eyes at him. "This is not the time to make fun of my accent."

"Come on. Say it. Say it for me. OOOAALL my fucking bank stuff?" he grinned, teasing her about her New York accent. It wasn't heavy, by any means, but he found it absolutely endearing when it was clearly noticeable when she said 'all' or 'talk'. He loved teasing her about it a little. "You wanna 'coll' ahead and tell them we're comin'? Wanna take some 'cawfee' to keep you awake during boring bank manager 'tolk'?"

Oh how she hated him sometimes. She wanted to stay mad, but the corners of her mouth were twitching and a little laugh burst out of her.

"You're an ass." she poked his ribs, while he kissed her forehead with a chuckle. "I mean it though. We're doing it and we're doing it right now. I don't wanna be afraid at you flipping out at something like me wanting to pay for take-out."

"Yeah okay, whatever you want."

"Good. Get your things." she wriggled out of his grasp and got her purse.

Daryl got the things he needed and opened the front door for her, waving her through. "Ahrite, let's get outa hea..." he mocked her accent a little more, almost making himself burst into laughter. This time Teddy was the one who was growling while she walked past him, shaking her head in frustration.

"Oh shut up!"

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**Anyone scared yet? Thank you so much for reading and your support.**

**For everyone who has inquired about my eye condition: Unfortunately my eye hasn't healed at all. It keeps coming back and it's been 6 weeks now and the meds don't help, so that sucks donkey balls. I know, that writing doesn't help either, but it's what keeps me sane and I need to get all these ideas out of my head. Thank you so much for your concern and your well-wishes.**

**For everyone who has inquired about the Bethyl story: It got reported for containing explicit material. Unfortunately somebody seems to have had a problem with me or the contents, but somehow I think it was with me, because that person tracked my stories down on three different sites I post on and reported me. Why just the Bethyl story and not all of them? I have no idea and I probably won't ever find out. So right now, I won't continue writing it, because honestly, that whole thing really bummed me out. I don't know what I did to make that person do that. Some of you have gotten to now me pretty well, we have great chats and I can't imagine anyone of my "core readers" to have done it. I am grateful for all reader interaction and I have never been mean to anyone on here, so I simply don't know what happened. I might try again after Jasper is finished.**

**Thank you my super awesome reviewers:**

**DarylDixon'sLover**

**Mooka333**

**snowbird (Unfortunately I can't tell you if it will affect my other stories as well, I just do not know, but so far it looks like I won't get banned since I'm still here:-)**

**ReidsGirl**

**masquerade04**

**cemmia**

**mamareadstomuch2**

**Monkey'sGoBoo**

**LilShorty0594**

**jeanf**


	28. Chapter 28

**Okay, this chapter turned out completely different than I had planned. I planned on dragging things out a little longer, but Daryl started acting up and making demands, so I had to change this a couple of times and actually had to change my timeline a little bit. So you can thank him for that, he's clearly got a mind of his own;-) I hope you enjoy.**

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Chapter 28

After a couple of days Teddy's health seemed to take a turn for the worse again. She felt like shit all the time. She wasn't just tired anymore, she was downright exhausted and she had headaches from hell, that couldn't even be cured by popping the usual pain killers. She had to get special ones to treat migraines with. At home Daryl wouldn't let her go to the bathroom alone, because she got so nauseous and dizzy that she felt like she was in an episode of Deadliest Catch. She kept swaying and holding on the the wall more than Daryl was comfortable with. They barely talked anymore, because as soon as she was home, she swallowed down some food and practically started falling asleep as soon as she had put her fork and knife down. Needless to say, Daryl was more than just a little bit on edge and he was glad that her appointment would be on the next day.

###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ####### #######

Daryl

Today, 1:28 PM

How U feeling? Still think U should go home.

Teddy sighed, when she read his text message. He must be on the edge of his seat, if he was texting during work hours, and texting more than one or two words even. They had been texting on and off all morning. It had taken forever for him to get her to wake up in the morning and she had looked horrible. She had slept for 11 hours and still she was sickly pale and had dark circles underneath her eyes. She had been in pain again. He'd noticed, when she had pressed her hand against the right side of her lower abdomen, just like the first time she had come home with that kind of pain bothering her.

Teddy

Today, 1:30 PM

Honey, I love you, but please back off. I can do this. I'm fine.

Fine? Was she fucking kidding? She looked like death on legs. He couldn't understand why Gerald wasn't sending her home. Surely he hadn't gone blind and had seen the condition his daughter was in. He gripped the phone harder until his knuckles turned white, then in a rush of impulsive anger, he threw the phone against the wall, where it bounced off the wrenches and fell down on the workbench.

His colleagues all jumped in shock at the sudden and unfamiliar noise, looking at him questioningly.

"The fuck are y'all lookin' at? Go back ta work." he growled and scowled at the men, before he turned to go and retrieve his phone.

"Teddy isn't doing so good lately, is she?" Billy approached Daryl carefully. "She text you? What's going on?"

"What the fuck do ya think is going on? The fuck do you care anyway?" Daryl spat in his direction, while he grabbed his phone. The display was smashed. Great, that just brought back more memories from the morning he found Teddy injured by the side of the road. The display of her phone had been smashed, too.

"I'm her twin brother..."

"Yeah, what a great twin brother ya been lately."

"Look, Maggie had that kind of cyst, two years ago. It's really harmless. Just went away on its own. She didn't even know she had it, probably would have never known if she hadn't gone in for a check-up. She was fine, and Teddy will be, too." Billy hoped that realizing that Maggie was completely fine over two years later, would make Daryl calm down.

Daryl just scoffed and as anger turned into rage, he spun around and started towards Billy. "Oh yeah? Maggie ever been in so much pain she couldn't walk? She been so tired she could barely keep her eyes open all day, every fucking day? She been white as a wall 24/7? She ever stop wearin' her damn beloved heels, because she got dizzy so much that she was scared of breaking her neck? You wanna know what's going on? Actually what's going on is, that you need to get over your fucking pathetic shit! She's your sister. She'd do fucking anything for you, ya know that? And you call her a waste of air just 'cause of them damn rings ya never wanted in the first place? She's sick, boy! She's fucking sick and you don't know if she's gon' be around much longer. So you better get over being a whiny petty bitch and start apologizin'." Daryl's voice started to shake and crack and before he humiliated himself by crying in front of Billy. Teddy's brother stared at him in shock with wide eyes and almost fell on his ass, when Daryl shoved him hard against the chest to get him out of the way and started towards the restroom. Daryl locked himself into one of the two stalls and leaned his forehead against the cool metal of the wall. Finally the wetness in his eyes spilled over, a single sob escaping him.

"Pussy." he admonished himself and took a deep shuddering breath. He knew he had turned into a cry-baby, but as hard as he tried to keep it together, he couldn't. He was so fucking scared of what could happen. Just beneath the surface he had been a nervous wreck for the past month and that tension in his body was killing him. Teddy had kept reassuring him that everything would be fine, but apparently, that had been a lie. The rate at which she had gotten worse over the past couple of days scared the crap out of him. He was sure that the thing on her ovary was cancer after all. She was deteriorating too quickly for that thing to be nothing bad. That speed at which it was all happening made for a very worried Daryl.

####### ###### ####### ###### ###### ###### #######

"Your brother wants to talk to you. Shall I put him through?" Judy, Teddy's and Gerald's receptionist asked, while Teddy was standing next to her desk, signing some things for her patients.

"Uhhmmm... yeah." Teddy replied with a frown after checking the time on her watch. The boss had to be out for both Daryl AND Billy to text and call during work. She went back to her office and took the call.

"Hey. What's up? Everything okay with Maggie?"

"Yeah, so far so good. Listen, your husband is having a meltdown. He's really freaking out right now. Is it true? You're sick? It's cancerous?" Teddy's eyes widened in shock when she heard Billy's concerned voice and realized what he was saying. Daryl had told him she was sick?

"What? No, it's not cancerous. What on God's green earth is going on over there?"

"He got your text and he went ballistic. Smashed his phone against a wall and went off on us. Looked like he was about to cry and break down. What did you text him? He said you have all this stuff going on. You get dizzy and shit? Maggie didn't have that when she had that thing. You gonna be okay?"

Teddy started shaking internally, her heart broke for Daryl. She just didn't know what else to do to ease his worries and make him calm down about the whole thing, than to tell him everything was going to be okay. Of course he didn't believe her. She knew what she looked like these days. She knew it wasn't uncommon if hormones got out of control, but to Daryl this must look horrible. Unfortunately she just didn't have much energy left to take greater efforts in placating him.

"I think I will be." she murmured while she banged her forehead against the edge of the desk lightly.

"You THINK you will be?" Billy rubbed a hand over his face and sighed deeply. "What in the world is that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know, I can't think at all these days. I just wanna sleep until that thing is gone."

"Is Daryl right?"

"No. I don't think so. I truly don't think it's cancer, Billy. I looked at the ultrasound and I couldn't see any solid tissue and that's generally good."

"But?"

"I don't know. That whole female stuff is just so weird and complex, Billy. I shouldn't have this cyst at all, so that could already be cause for concern and at the same time it doesn't have to be cause for concern. The standard procedure is to monitor it for about two to three cycles and if it hasn't dissolved in that time frame, then you do more workup, get blood tests, surgery and all that jazz. I know all that and I know I don't have to be worried, at least not yet, but I feel so crappy. I know it's normal, but it still makes you wonder a little. I think what worries me the most is how much Daryl worries. He firmly believes that I'm sick and it's not helping me, you know? But try telling that to Daryl."

"You should try. He's your husband and he's going out of his mind right now. I'll hand ya over, okay? Take care, I'll talk to you soon." Billy said his goodbyes and entered the restroom. He held the phone over the door for Daryl to reach. "Talk to your wife."

Daryl took the phone and once he'd heard the door close behind Billy, he held it up to his ear. "Hey."

"Baby? What's going on?"

"Ya ain't fine, Teddy. Ya ain't."

"I am. I'm gonna be, Daryl. And I need you to believe that. You trying to convince me that I'm sick is not helping me feel better right now."

"Shit, girl..."

"Daryl, please listen to me. I know you want me to stay home and I would love to, but I can't. My father isn't getting any younger and he needs my help. He can't do everything alone around here. I've been out long enough with my injury and he's tired, too, you know."

"Can't he see how shitty yer feelin'? Why ain't he sending ya home? Just for today?"

"He tried, but I said no. Don't blame him. I need to do this. As shitty as I feel, work still distracts me a little from everything. Can you try to do that for me, too? It might take another month until that thing goes away." Teddy asked gently, trying to express puppy dog eyes through her voice.

"Awesome. And that's s'pposed ta calm me down?"

"Exactly. Honey, please get a grip on that for the both of us. We have to go back to work now. We can talk more tonight. Okay?"

"Yeah, if ya don't fall asleep within 20 minutes again."

"Please baby. I'll see you tonight. I love you." Daryl just grunted in reply and Teddy hung up with a sigh. She understood that he was worried, but the way he acted wasn't helping her feel better, because she started to worry if HE was gonna be okay through all the things that could happen.

###### ######## ###### ####### ###### ######

Bernadette walked into Gerald's study later that evening, balancing two cups of coffee in her hands, careful not to spill anything.

"What are you looking at, my love?" she put the cups down on his desk and looked over his shoulder.

"Teddy's ultrasound from when she went to the hospital a couple of weeks ago. See this? That's the cyst."

"Oh my, that looks big." Bernadette frowned and looked closer.

"It is big. Bigger than I'd like. Can barely see the ovary anymore. No wonder it's causing her pain."

"You're worried." she stated and took a seat at the edge of his desk.

"She's my daughter, of course I'm worried. Especially now. I didn't know it was that big." Gerald sighed with a concerned frown on his face.

"Why don't they just remove it? Especially if it's painful for her?"

"They always do one or two months of watchful waiting first. Mostly because most cysts go away during that time, so no surgery would be needed. They don't want to jump the gun and cut people open, if all they have to do is swallow a couple of pain pills for a couple of weeks and wait." he sighed and looked back at the picture. "I keep looking at it, trying to see if Dr. Hainesworth missed something. You wanna know what the usual treatment would be?"

"What?"

"Ovarian cysts that don't go away get treated by having the woman swallow birth control pills. That's the thing. Teddy is on birth control, so she shouldn't even have it and the fact that even though she continues to take them, she is still feeling so badly... that has me worried."

"But does it look malignant to you?" Bernadette asked and looked at the picture again.

"It looks like fluid, but in the end, the cyst might not even be the problem, Bernie. The fact that it is there despite the pills might mean that there is something else going on. That there could be a malignant growth somewhere else, that is causing this. I will talk to Teddy tomorrow. She should have Dr. Hainesworth perform an internal ultrasound. It could still be a cervical or a uterine tumor that's causing this and the external ultrasound might not catch it." Gerald was talking more to himself, spinning his theories and coming up with a plan. He was startled when he heard a sob coming from Bernadette and he looked at her in concern.

"Oh Bernie,... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry. Everything is going to be fine. I said it might be bad, but it could very well just be stress that is causing the symptoms and/or the cyst."

"I just remembered something." Bernadette wiped at her tears. "My grandfather, he had this saying. 'When someone leaves, it's because someone else is about to arrive.' He said it's nature's way of maintaining the balance. Shortly before Teddy and Billy were born, he died and just days later his sister died. When Milo was born, your father died. And now we have a grandchild on the way... and Teddy gets this?"

"Bernadette, that is nonsense and you know it." Gerald admonished his wife gently. "The good thing is that the pain alerted her immediately. Whatever it is, it will be taken care of early. Our daughter is not going to die. Both, Teddy and our grandson will be fine. And by the logic of your grandfather, why did Milo have to die then if someone had died before he arrived? Don't believe in that superstitious tale."

"But now you have me worried sick with your tales of uterine and cervical growths. Why did you say it in the first place, you know I can't stand our children being sick. Maybe I should go over there and take care of her. Cook for them, so Daryl can spend more time with her." Bernadette wiped the tears away with her fingers and took several deep breaths to compose herself.

"I'm sure Daryl has it covered. We should leave them alone. Teddy is exhausted and I'm sure she doesn't want anyone else around. If they need help, they will call." Gerald knew that Teddy and Bernadette never got along for very long, if stuck together and since Teddy was getting annoyed with people worrying, this would only serve to upset her even more.

"I just want to help. If she really turns out to be sick, who knows what will happen..."

"Bernie, stop talking like that. Teddy is not dying. She is young and she is strong. Even if she does turn out to be sick, it is not a death sentence and I won't let you act like it is." Gerald's tone turned slightly sharper. He knew that his wife had a penchant for drama and this would be an opportunity for her to blow it completely out of proportion and have her friends at the country club lavish all their attention on her. He loved his wife, but he was aware that she was far from perfect and that she loved being the center of attention.

"Teddy and Billy are still fighting." Bernadette sighed and accepted the handkerchief her husband handed her.

"They aren't fighting, they are on speaking terms, Bernie."

"But it's not the same. Teddy is still holding a grudge."

"And you blame her? I was about to put him over my knee and slap him silly." Gerald laughed incredulously.

"You know how it is. We're not supposed to have favorites, but-"

"Billy's your little momma's boy and Teddy is my little daddy's girl." Gerald smiled and squeezed her knee. "Every parent has a favorite, just like the kids have a favorite. You and Teddy clash and Billy and I don't see eye to eye very often. It's the way it is."

"We made so many mistakes with them. I regret so much." Bernadette admitted. It wasn't news to Gerald, though. They've talked about it a lot in the last couple of years.

"So do I. We should have raised them ourselves during their formative years. We had money, we didn't have to work so much, but we were both ambitious young people and put our professional lives first, letting the nanny take care of them. A lot could have been avoided if we had done the right thing and had cut back on work."

"Yes. Maybe they wouldn't have gotten so out of control and we wouldn't have had to separate them. Maybe they wouldn't have grown up to be so different. He was so sad at the wedding, because she didn't let him be her witness. It breaks my heart. He needs her right now, he's got so many questions-"

"He dug his own grave, Bernie. It's all because he can't get over the fact that I supported Teddy during med school. That's all it is. They are so different in that department. Billy wants to swim in money, but can't because he chose to be a mechanic and is mad because we didn't buy him his own garage. Teddy doesn't care about money, but she has it because she chose med school and became a doctor. They both chose their own path, we had nothing to do with that, now they both have to live with it. All it takes for those two to really reconcile is for Billy to overcome that grudge he's been holding against her for the past 10 years. I don't understand why he is still so upset about it all. He made a life for himself. He's got a steady job, a beautiful and smart wife and a son about to arrive soon... Others would kill for that. He still has a lot of growing up to do and I hope being a father himself will get him there."

"I think it will. Do you think Teddy will really be okay?"

"We will hopefully find out tomorrow. I will call her right away to tell her to get an internal ultrasound."

"Tell her I wanna go with her. I'm free anyway and if it turns out to be not so good news, she shouldn't be alone."

"Will do." Gerald picked up the phone, before he forgot to tell her about it. He would see her in the morning at work, but that didn't mean that he would remember telling her during the morning rush.

############ ######### ###### ####### ####### ######

"What did yer old man want?" Daryl asked, when Teddy hung up the phone.

"Promise me you won't freak out?"

"You sayin' that is already freaking me out. What is it?"

"He told me to get an internal ultrasound, too and not just an external one. Worst case scenario could be, that the cyst itself is just a symptom. There could be growths on my cervix or uterus that could have caused the cyst." Teddy explained, watching Daryl close his eyes and shake his head with a sarcastic smile.

"Great. Just fucking great. Any more good news you wanna share?" he spat, immediately feeling like a piece of crap, when her face fell. "Sorry."

"Yeah, whatever. I'm going to bed. Just wanna sleep." Teddy muttered and got up from the couch. She quickly grabbed the arm of it a second later, when the room started spinning again. Daryl was by her side within a second, lifting her arm over his shoulder and hoisting her up into his arms. He carried her to their bed and gently set her down on her side of it. He left again, but just to turn off the TV and kill the lights before he joined her in bed. He didn't feel like watching TV by himself. He wanted to be close to her. He felt like a pig, but he had the desperate urge to make love to her, despite her condition. It wasn't about his own sexual gratification, he just wanted to hold her as close as humanly possible, feel her surrounding him and make her feel good, give her some relief from the stress her body was putting her through. Needless to say, that wasn't happening by a long shot. Teddy was barely conscious at night and if she was, she was wrecked by intense headaches.

She was already asleep when he came back to bed, but she woke back up only two hours later, moaning when she felt like her head was going to crack open. Daryl was still awake, he was too nervous about her appointment the next day and he instantly turned towards her and gently touched her cheek. "Headache again, darlin'?"

She turned her head towards him and thought she was dying. The pain was unbelievable, it was like she had a concussion again. "Migraine pills... please." she tried to take slow deep breaths, to get through it somehow, but while Daryl went to the bathroom to get the pills, her vision turned spotty and there was no possibility for her to make it to the bathroom in time. She just barely accomplished leaning her head over the side of the bed in time, before the intense headache made her vomit her dinner on the floor. That was her breaking point. She started crying. She was deeply ashamed for what had just happened and when she heard Daryl rush towards her, she yelled for him to stay away.

"NO! Don't look. Please, don't look. Just get back in bed. I'll clean it up myself. Please, just give me a minute."

"Teddy... Ya can barely move." he said gently, staying rooted to the spot, after her plea.

"I can do it. I'll feel better in a couple of minutes. Just need the pounding to stop for a moment." She cried and rested her forehead on the edge of the mattress.

"You don't have to do it. Seen worse..."

"I won't have you clean up my vomit. No discussion."

"Lemme at least get everything ya need." Daryl tried again. He saw her nod slightly and went to the kitchen, making sure not to look at the floor on her side of the bed. He got her a bucket and everything else she might need and set it on the floor by the foot of the bed. Teddy moved slowly and went down on her knees to clean the mess she had made. She was still crying and it tore Daryl's heart out to see her like that. He wished she would just get back in bed and let him help.

After a couple of minutes she crawled back into bed and popped the migraine pill into her mouth with shaky hands. Daryl took care of the cleaning supplies and then took another trip to the bathroom, bringing some mouthwash and a cold, wet washcloth back for her. While Teddy rinsed her mouth, he gently moved her hair out of the way and pressed the washcloth against the back of her neck. Teddy spit into an empty glass and closed her eyes, a little blissful sigh escaping her lips.

"That feels so good." she mumbled and pressed back against his hand.

"Come here..." he gently tugged on her arm with his free hand, hoping she would let him hold her. Teddy went willingly, almost sobbing when she felt his familiar embrace. It had been a couple of days, since she felt it, even though she needed it more than ever. She had just been so out of it after work, she had been too tired to even cuddle properly. She slowly moved her head and kissed his cheek.

"Thank you. I'm sorry that I'm such a shitty wife right now. You're the best husband, though. Seriously."

Daryl turned his head, so he would be able to catch her lips. He kissed her gently, fully intent on pulling away, but when Teddy slid her hand over his neck to the back of his head and held him to her for a second longer, his control slipped a little bit. His whole body felt like it was buzzing with electricity and he swore that the hairs on his arms were standing up. His grip on her tightened, turned possessive, and when he caught her bottom lip between his and swept his tongue over it, he growled quietly.

Teddy pulled back and squinted up at him in the dim light of the lamp. The light still hurt her eyes. "I'm sorry baby. I wish I could, but I can't."

Daryl stiffened and quickly lifted his head away from hers. He felt like shit. He didn't even know what to say, so he just held her and alternated between pressing the washcloth against her neck and pressing it against her forehead.

About half an hour later, she felt better again. They laid back down and Daryl was disappointed that Teddy chose her own cool pillow to rest her head on, but he understood. It soothed her more than his hot skin. He turned on his side to face her and gently stroked his fingertips up and down her arm, to maintain at least a little bit of contact.

"I'm sick of feeling like this." Teddy admitted quietly. "Here I am, waiting for this appointment tomorrow, because my subconscious is foolishly telling me, that once she tells me it has shrunk, that all the symptoms go away at once. Not bloody likely."

"Guess not." Daryl agreed.

"Maybe I'll ask her to just remove it, but she'll decline, because they like to wait another couple of weeks to make sure it really isn't going away, so no sense in asking, really."

"You can't do this another month and they can't force ya to."

"I don't know anything anymore right now. I'd love to sleep until it's all over." She had barely finished her sentence, when the phone rang. Daryl frowned, but went to get it anyway.

"The fuck is calling this late?" he muttered. When he saw the caller ID he quickly shut up, because he figured if Billy called that late at night, something had to be happening with Maggie and the baby. He quickly brought the phone back to Teddy, so she could answer it herself."

"Billy? What's going on?" She murmured tiredly into the phone. Daryl was able to hear Billy's frantic voice, but couldn't make out what he was saying. Teddy listened for a moment, before she cut him off. "How often? Okay, tell her to lay down. No moving around. Tell her to try to get comfortable and get her to relax. I'm on my way. Just try to stay calm, okay? I'll be right there."

"What do you mean you'll be right there? Yer in no condition to-" Daryl started arguing as soon as she had hung up.

"Maggie thinks she's having contractions and she's freaking out. It's probably just Braxton-Hicks, but I'm going, Daryl."

"Well, ya ain't going alone. I'm not crazy enough ta let ya drive 20 miles in the middle of the night with that headache of yours."

"Fine." Teddy didn't put up a fight. To be honest she felt a lot safer having Daryl with her.

######## ####### ###### ###### ####### #######

"First thing you're gon' do is send Maggie to another doctor." he announced when they were in the car and on their way to the farm. "Should have done that months ago, when we last talked about it on yer birthday. It ain't good for ya. Especially not now."

"Daryl, she is in the homestretch. She and Billy are already running around like chicken with their heads cut off, they will loose their minds if they have to go looking for another doctor now. And also I wanna do this, okay? I'm not sending her to anybody else."

"If she don't give birth tonight, ya have to send her to someone else."

"No I don't. You can't even begin to understand, Daryl. You can't put yourself in Maggie's shoes, I know that, but trust me when I say, that you don't want a stranger in there with you when it's time to give birth. You want someone you know and trust and who's been there for you all along and talked you through everything. Even if I wouldn't wanna do it, I wouldn't do that to Maggie. So not up for discussion." Teddy said with finality. Not up for discussion had become kind of a signal for them. When one of them said it, the other knew that they seriously meant it.

"Fine. Guess next on the list to get some stress out of your system would be you and your brother resolving your shit." he sighed, not really seeing that happening yet.

"How can we possibly resolve this? Even though we've had this stupid fight over and over for years now, I didn't realize until this last one, that he actually meant what he kept saying all the time. It hurts and I can't forget about it. I think about it every day. He just confirmed what I knew all along: that the only thing I'm good at is my job and that's it. The truth hurts. Knowing that he knows it's true, hurts even more."

"How on earth did ya get this shitty self-esteem?"

"Who knows. Maybe it's a childhood thing or something. I love my job, don't get me wrong, I like what I do, but sometimes I think, maybe the only reason why I always wanted to be a doctor was, because I hoped for my Dad to finally notice me? They just never really spent any time with us when we were kids. He even less than our Mom. I know this sounds horrible, and maybe it's not even true, but I always felt like I loved him more, than I love my Mom, you know? Like he was my favorite. When he fired me,... I know I acted all tough and trust me, I would have thrown it all away for you, but still, I wanted to die for a minute. It hurt so much that he rejected me in that way, just because I was in love for the first time." Teddy admitted, what she had never told him before. She was confused for a moment, when Daryl smirked and looked at her with cute, knowing expression of his.

"Why do ya think I tried leaving that night? Had already figured it out, woman. I can read ya like a book. I knew you were hurtin' like crazy. Wanted ta fix it by leaving you alone. Getting you your job back and getting you back in yer daddy's good graces."

"And I knew that that was exactly what you were trying to do. That's why I begged you to stay. Smart thing I did or I wouldn't be wearing these pretty rings on my finger now."

"I knew you just married me for them rings." he laughed and reached over to squeeze her thigh affectionately. "But what about Billy? You know yourself, that I was fucking mad at him. Still am for putting ya down like that, but in the end you're the stronger person. He's acting like a whiny little girl with jealousy issues. He seems to forget, that your parents send YOU away and kept him with them. What would he have done if they would have sent him away? He would'a hanged himself. Nobody loves poor Billy."

"Don't. I know he's an ass, but I still don't like you talking about him like that."

"He's your brother and ya love him. I know that. I get it. Look at me and Merle. He's been a damn bastard for pretty much all ma life and still I wouldn't be able to leave him behind and never talk ta him again."

"And your point would be...?"

"You are the stronger person,... maybe ya gotta be the stronger person again and forgive him. I ain't saying that he was right, not at all, but you two being like this is hurtin' ya. Just for the sake of yer well-being, ya know, maybe ya gotta try swallow it down somehow."

"Don't you think I tried that, Daryl? I don't know. My head is too full to even think about that Billy crap right now. It's not like we're constantly yelling at each other."

"Nah, you're barely talking anymore..."

"Like I said, can't think about that right now." Teddy ended the discussion. She fell silent and thought of a game plan in case it did turn out to be real contractions.

"We might be here a while, wanna go see if Merle is still up?" she asked as soon as they parked in front of Hershel Greene's house.

"No need. He's up here." Daryl said and pointed at the door that just opened.

"Like Billy said... everybody is always around. I get why that's bothering him." Teddy muttered and got out of the car, walking up the steps of the porch alongside Daryl.

Merle frowned when he studied an approaching Teddy, nearly making her roll her eyes.

'Not him, too.' she thought and just mumbled a greeting before she made her way inside.

Merle's gaze shifted towards Daryl, the younger brother briefly letting his fear show on his face, before he put his stoic mask back into place. Merle clapped his hand down on Daryl's shoulder, squeezing hard for a moment, not the best at offering comfort.

"She's gon' be alright, baby bro." he stated confidently, but even he had to admit, that Teddy looked like crap.

Teddy meanwhile had entered the bedroom Billy and Maggie shared. She smiled gently at Maggie, who looked scared to death.

"Oh thank you God, you're here. I'm freaked out, I think I'm having contractions. It feels so weird and my belly gets rock hard."

"Okay, we'll check it out. How often did you have them?"

"Once or twice per hour." Maggie replied, looking at Billy for confirmation.

"Yeah, that's what you said." Billy agreed.

"Alright, how long did they last? Did they hurt at all?" Teddy asked next, although she was already pretty sure that it was a false alarm.

"Just a couple of seconds and it didn't hurt. It just feels like someone is pulling on my skin. Or my muscles. Tightening it, I think. It's hard to explain."

"Has it happened again since you laid down and got comfortable?" Teddy asked and put on some gloves.

"No. Gosh, it's these other contractions, right? I called you out here for nothing. I'm so sorry." Maggie started to apologize, her hormones bringing her close to crying.

"Don't apologize, sweetie. It's what I'm here for. And better safe than sorry. Let me check your cervix, alright?" Maggie nodded and with Billy's help, undressed her lower half, so Teddy would be able to examine her.

"Still firmly closed. Nothing to worry about." Teddy announced after a minute and withdrew her fingers from Maggie. "I'm sure it's just Braxton-Hicks. Okay guys, listen closely. Braxton-Hicks is completely normal at this stage, but keep monitoring how often it happens. If you have four of them within an hour, call me, because it could be a sign of preterm labor. Look out for changes in the contractions, if they become rhythmic, longer and painful, call me. If you get cramps, like during your period or dull and rhythmic pain in your lower back, call me. Otherwise, if they keep coming irregularly and only like once or twice an hour, just try to change your position, or take a warm bath and drink plenty of water. Sometimes these contractions can be brought on by dehydration. You got all that?"

"Basically look out for how often and how long. If it gets painful we'll call anyway." Billy summed it up.

"Good. Right now everything looks good. Just try to get some rest guys. You'll need it." Teddy smiled. "Try to relax as much as possible. I know it's not easy, but try."

"Maybe you should take your own advice." Billy told her gently. "You look like shit."

"Geez, thanks. Just don't okay? I feel bad enough, I don't need everybody telling me how shitty I look or trying to convince me I'm sick." Teddy lost her temper for a moment, but she quickly caught herself for Maggie's sake. "I'm sorry. Just call if anything changes." She kissed Maggie's cheek and squeezed Billy's shoulder, before she made a quick exit. She couldn't stand how everyone was looking at her. It's like they all thought she was a goner. That sure didn't help make her feel any better.

####### ####### ####### ###### ###### #######

The next day during her lunch break, Teddy and Bernadette drove to the hospital for her second appointment. When Teddy got called into the exam room, Bernadette squeezed her hand tightly, before letting her go in. It had been obvious that Teddy had been nervous as hell, even though she had wanted to play it cool.

"I'd be asking how you're feeling, but it's pretty obvious." Dr. Hainesworth smiled sympathetically. "So still symptoms?"

"Yeah, and a lot worse, unfortunately. Skull-splitting headaches that make me throw up, and I get so dizzy it's not even funny anymore. My father suggested we should do an internal ultrasound as well today, check out my cervix and uterus for anomalies."

"I was about to suggest that as well. Especially now that you still have those symptoms. Please, disrobe and let's take a look."

Teddy took off her shoes and pulled off her panties. She hated being completely naked from the waist down during these kinds of exams, so she always wore skirts she could just hike up. It made her feel less vulnerable. She took her place on the exam table, while Dr. Hainesworth sat down in front of the ultrasound machine and pressed a couple of keys on the keyboard.

"I'm going to do the internal ultrasound first." She informed Teddy, who took a deep breath to relax herself. Now that she was so close to finding out if there were even more anomalies, she got scared. She wished Daryl was here to hold her hand, but just when she started her lunch break, his ended, so it had been impossible for him to be there today.

"I'll look at your ovary first." The doctor announced and inserted the probe. Teddy took another deep breath. She hated this part with a passion. She felt the hard plastic press uncomfortably against her inner wall and tried to relax more, but her breathing picked up a little, because of the fear that got stronger by the second. "I'm afraid that cyst is still there and it hasn't gotten smaller either."

"I figured." Teddy sighed. It meant more nights like the one yesterday and the ones before.

"Checking cervix and uterus now." Dr. Hainesworth moved the probe and a very nervous Teddy started shaking internally. Here came the moment of truth. Her stomach dropped when she heard a sound, you never wanna hear from your doctor during an exam like this: A gasp.

"Oh my..." the doctor breathed, and Teddy swore her heart stopped beating.

"What?" Teddy asked, looking at the doctor anxiously.

"Your father was right." Dr. Hainesworth explained and Teddy started shaking in earnest. "There's a growth... See for yourself." She turned the screen around to face her patient.

Teddy's eyes fell on the image on the screen and she felt like the rug got pulled out from under her. Her whole world came crashing down around her and panic filled up every fiber of her being. Her brain wasn't able to comprehend the whole situation, and yet she knew exactly what was happening. Her voice didn't even sound like her own to her ears, as it came out as a croaked whisper.

"I'm pregnant..."

###### ###### ###### ###### ####### ###### ###### ####### #######

**Tada... Thanks for reading and supporting me and this story. You guys are so awesome, all your reviews and messages make my day. Sorry, so so sorry, to my PM friends. I am not doing so well these days, so I focus all my energy and free time on writing. I hope you understand. I will get back to you, it just takes some time.**

**So yeah, I had the big reveal planned for next chapter, but like I said, Daryl made me do it this chapter. Thank him or curse him for it, lol**

**Hugs and much love to my reviewers:**

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